New Jersey police sergeant dies by suicide – Law Officer

BERGEN COUNTY, N.J. – A sergeant with the Maywood Police Department — a small borough in Bergen County — died by suicide early Thursday. Sgt. Jason Liaban, 39, took his life with a self-inflicted gunshot wound about 2:30 a.m. in Hackensack, law enforcement officials said.

“The death is not suspected to involve criminal activity, but the circumstances surrounding the death are being investigated,” the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit said in a joint statement with the Maywood and Hackensack police departments, nj.com reported.

Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said there was nothing suspicious related to the sergeant’s death, therefore, no additional details would be disclosed.

“We ask that the public provide Sgt. Liaban’s family, the Maywood Police Department and the Bergen County law enforcement community privacy to grieve this sudden loss,” Musella noted.

According to a law enforcement source who was not authorized to speak about the case, Liaban was in a “crisis” and taken to the Hackensack University Medical Center by his supervisor where he used his own weapon to take his life, New Jersey 101.5 reported.

Liaban was a 16-year police veteran. He was the recipient of several accolades as a member of the Maywood Police Department, including a suicidal situation in June 2021, and a life saving incident in July 2021, authorities said.