“You’re about to get dropped,” New Jersey cop tells underage woman in body-cam footage

A New Jersey police officer warned a 20-year-old woman suspected of underage drinking that she was “about to get dropped” moments before repeatedly punching her in the head and neck, body-camera footage shows.

The Wildwood Police Department released the body-camera footage Wednesday after cell phone video of the officer punching the woman, Emily Weinman, as she lay on the sand went viral over Memorial Day weekend. She wrote in a now-deleted Facebook post that she was with her 18-month old daughter, her father, and a friend at a beach in New Jersey on Saturday, when she was accused of underage drinking and having an alcoholic ice tea in her possession.

The video starts with one of the three officers involved grabbing a breathalyzer, which Weinman said she passed. The officer, however, continues to press her for details about her last name and where her family is. Eventually, he grows frustrated and tries to handcuff Weinman when she starts backing away from him. Moments later, he wrestles her onto the sand and starts hitting her in the head and neck.

The three officers, identified by police as Patrolmen Thomas Cannon, John Hillman, and Robert Jordan, have been reassigned to administrative duty, and the department has launched an investigation. Weinman was charged with disorderly conduct, minor in possession of alcohol, two counts of aggravated assault on a police officer, and obstruction, according to the City of Wildwood Police Department.

After Weinman breathes into the breathalyzer the first time, the footage shows, the officer asks her to do it again, which she does.

The officer then asks her what her age is. "I know that didn’t come up positive. I didn’t have a drink of anything, so," she responds.

Weinman said she passed her breathalyzer test, and the Wildwood Police Department couldn’t immediately be reached for comment. After a few minutes, the officers begin writing her information down.

"I didn’t disrespect you. I didn’t do anything to be written up, did I?" she asked.

The same officer then asks again for her last name. “You don’t need my last name,” Weinman responds.

“Alright, that’s it. I’m done with you,” the officer says in the video, before turning to another officer and asking if he has cuffs on him.

Weinman begins backing away from the officer as he heads toward her with the cuffs, the body-camera footage shows.

“Don’t fucking touch me,” Weinman says.

“Get over here,” the officer responds.

“Don’t touch me,” she repeats.

“You’re about to get dropped,” the officer warns.

The video then shows the officer pulling Weinman’s hair and forcing her to the sand as he calls for backup, although Weinman’s hand does briefly obscure the camera. That’s when Wildwood officials said the video shows Weinman assaulting the officers first, according to the Associated Press.

Weinman yells that she can’t breathe, and that she’s being choked. Although she’s visibly struggling on the ground, the officer says he isn’t choking her.

“That’s it,” the officer says and begins to punch her multiple times in the head and neck.

Beachgoers attempt to intervene as Weinman screams, and the officer tells them to back up. "You’re not allowed to hit me like that,” Weinman screams.

“My daughter is right there seeing this,” she says as the officers begin to handcuff her.

Weinman then spits as she's being handcuffed — police charged her with aggravated assault on a police officer. But she said she was just spitting out sand from when she was shoved onto the ground. After she's led to the police car, she can be heard calling the officers “trash” and “dirt balls.”

Weinman’s attorney, Stephen Dicht, told NJ.com that the officers had no justification for using that much force. He could not immediately be reached for additional comment.

“It's kind of ridiculous. They're there to protect, to diffuse situations, not escalate them,” Dicht said. “Whatever she did or said — and I'm not admitting she did or said anything — the response is way out of proportion. That's what happens when you've got poorly trained officers.”

Cover image: Screenshot via body-camera footage