Story by Ethan
On February 28th, 2025, the arrest of Randy Lantigua, age 26, was announced by Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella. Randy Lantigua was charged with first-degree strict liability for drug induced death. The arrest and charges against Randy Lantigua was a result of an investigation launched by Chief Matthew Finck of the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office and Chief Donald Scorzetti of the Lodi Police Department.
According to the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, on April 6th, 2024, a 911 call from the bedroom of a private residence reported an unresponsive male, later identified as 62-year old Lodi resident James White. First responders and responding officers from the Lodi Police Department located James White and pronounced him dead on the scene. The Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Narcotics Task Force was notified of a possible drug overdose as the cause of death. Detectives uncovered drug-related activity alleging that Randy Lantigua distributed the narcotics to Jack White. Randy Lantigua was located and arrested in Lodi, New Jersey on March 21st, 2024, while being charged with five different drug offenses.
The Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office stated that the charges against Randy Lantigua are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
