A confrontation at one of the most closely watched immigration sites in New Jersey has led to criminal charges. According to News 12, a driver is now facing charges after a protester was struck by a car outside the Delaney Hall ICE detention center in Newark, an incident that was captured on video.
Authorities have identified the person behind the wheel. A man from Newark, named as 38-year-old Thomas Brown, was the driver who hit the protester, putting a name to a case that quickly drew attention given the tensions already surrounding the facility.
The victim was demonstrating at the time she was hit. The protester, a woman, was waving an American flag outside the detention center on Sunday when she was struck, turning a peaceful demonstration into a sudden and frightening collision.
Police have set out the charges the driver now faces. They say Brown faces assault by auto charges and was also ticketed for reckless driving, framing the case as a serious matter rather than a simple traffic mishap.
Officials also moved to clear up questions about who the driver was. The Department of Homeland Security has stated that the man is not an ICE agent, a clarification aimed at calming speculation around a facility where emotions have run high during weeks of protest.
Despite the violence of the moment, the woman who was hit has not been deterred. She spoke with News 12 and said she is now out of the hospital and has since returned to protest at the site, underscoring how determined demonstrators remain even after the incident.