Man's death after video from Paterson police station ruled accidental
PATERSON, New Jersey (WABC) -- Authorities say the death of a man who streamed a frantic video from a New Jersey police station earlier this year has been ruled accidental and not the result of police use of force.
The state medical examiner concluded that 27-year-old Jameek Lowery of Paterson had a medical episode.
The state medical examiner's office said that pre-existing medical conditions combined with Lowery's ingestion of bath salts triggered "an adverse physical reaction including multiple organ failure and cardiac arrest."
The report went on to say, "This reaction was occurring during the police and medical personnel's interaction with Mr. Lowery and was independent of and unrelated to any force utilized."
Early on Jan. 5, Lowery recorded a video inside the Paterson police headquarters saying he had taken the drug ecstasy, was paranoid and feared someone was trying to kill him. He died two days later.
There were citywide protests over the death of Lowery, who walked into the police station while suffering from a severe case of spinal meningitis.
"On August 12, the Passaic County Prosecutor's Office advised that the investigation concluded that Mr. Lowery's death was a medical event and not the result of police use of force," said Paterson Mayor Andre Sayegh in a statement. "Theconclusion of the investigation at this time does not bar the Passaic County's Prosecutor's Office or any other law enforcement agency from reviewing additional evidence that may arise in the future."
(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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