Community Corner

N.J. Attorney General: Fugitives Should Take Advantage of 'Safe Surrender'

The program offers fugitives wanted for non-violent crimes a chance to surrender in a neutral location. Those who do will receive more favorable consideration from the court.

To the Editor:

Fugitives hiding from the law will soon have the opportunity to surrender safely at a neutral location in Atlantic City, take responsibility for their offenses and receive favorable consideration from the court.

Fugitive Safe Surrender–New Jersey Southern Region offers those wanted on New Jersey warrants for non-violent offenses a final opportunity to resolve their matters. The previous Fugitive Safe Surrenders events in New Jersey allowed more than 10,000 people to stop running from the law.  

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Fugitive Safe Surrender will operate on Saturday, April 21 and Monday, April 23 through Wednesday, April 25 at Grace Assembly of God Church, 201 Atlantic Ave., Atlantic City. Individuals can turn themselves in at the church from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. daily. Their cases will be adjudicated at temporary courtrooms a few blocks away. The program will NOT operate on April 22.

The U.S. Marshals Service launched the first Fugitive Safe Surrender initiative in 2005 in Ohio, after a city police officer was murdered in the line of duty while attempting to capture a fugitive who had an open warrant for a non-violent offense.

The initiative is only open to U.S. citizens, legal residents or those who are lawfully in the United States.  Individuals who are not in the United States lawfully are not eligible to participate.  

I encourage anyone who is eligible to participate in Fugitive Safe Surrender to take this opportunity for a fresh start.  

For more information, go to http://www.fssnj.com or call 855-FSS-NJ12 (377-6512.)

Jeffrey S. Chiesa
New Jersey Attorney General


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