Man struck by Jersey City sergeant’s pickup truck will receive $292K in lawsuit settlement

Jersey City will pay a man who a police sergeant struck with his vehicle during a chase five years ago nearly $300,000 to settle a federal lawsuit.

The City Council last week approved by 8-0 vote the $292,000 settlement with Shiron Cooper related to the Aug. 6, 2017 incident that was caught on camera. The lawsuit was filed against Jersey City, the police department, then-Sgt. John Ransom and Police Officer Patrick Egan, who was eventually dismissed from the lawsuit.

From the start, Cooper’s account of what happened and the video footage contradicted police reports of the events that evening. Police said that officers witnessed Cooper purchasing cocaine and gave chase. Ransom, driving his silver Dodge Durango pickup truck, eventually followed Cooper into Audubon Park.

One report said Cooper “jumped into the front passenger side quarter panel of the truck” and another report said Cooper “ran directly into Sgt. Ransom’s vehicle, and bounced back, causing him to fall.”

In an interview with The Jersey Journal in December 2017, Cooper said he was walking home from work when an unmarked car started chasing him and he ran. The car caught up with Cooper inside the park and drove into him.

“He came out of nowhere and just hit me,” Cooper told The Jersey Journal. “It came over me, the whole car ... it’s crazy.”

Cooper said at one point he felt tires roll over him and that he was unconscious for an unknown period of time. His other injuries included a broken nose, stitches in one ear, swollen eyes and and bruises on his face and neck, Cooper said in the interview.

The 10-second piece of security footage was first aired by Univision a month after the incident.

The video shows Ransom drive into Cooper while Cooper faces the car. Ransom stops for about one second, Cooper turns around and runs in the opposite direction and the car accelerates toward him and then stops again (at this point Cooper can’t be seen).

Ransom pleaded guilty to the disorderly persons offense of simple assault in 2018 and was banned from ever holding public employment.