Thadius Wilder's family legal fees and expenses

On Saturday, July 30, 2022, at approximately 6:52 pm, Thadius Ernest Wilder, a father of five beautiful children, sat alone on a bench at Aspen Place and State Street in the City of Passaic, NJ. Thadius had a warrant issued for his arrest through drug court on or around February 2022. Thadius did not commit any violent offense; he failed his uranalysis exam and did not continue court-ordered treatment, which meant he violated his probation.

Thadius was preparing to smoke a Marijuana Cigarette, also known as a blunt, when a police vehicle (SUV) pulled up to the stop sign directly across from the bench. The police SUV sits at the stop sign for a moment and proceeds to enter the roadway, traveling South on State Street. That exact vehicle then performs a U-turn and now travels North on state street. They then turn onto Aspen Place and stop directly in front of Thadius, who is still sitting on the bench. It is unknown at this time if the Officer’s windows were down or if anything was said due to the lack of camera footage. However, Thadius stands up and begins to run. Officer Craig Heyward, badge #509 pursues Thadius on foot.

Thadius immediately makes a left onto State Street and then another left into the Alfred Speer Village Housing complex. He runs along the front side of the complex passing every building. Eventually, reaches a point where he can no longer run straight due to the fence in front of him. He jumps over the fence, landing in a brush area approximately 50.4ft wide and 297.4ft long. Please keep in mind this brush area has little vegetation allowing you to see directly through it from the fence line and highway. This brush area leads directly to Route 21 Southbound.

When Thadius jumps over the fence, Officer Heyward is a distance away but still able to identify that Thadius jumped the fence and entered Route 21 Southbound. We know this because Officer Heyward calls it out on his radio. Officers from the department then call out on the radio that they are entering Route 21. Officer Heyward had several interactions and conversations with Thadius before this incident, knowing he had a warrant and he never attempted to arrest him.

At an unspecified time, the pursuit and perimeter search were called off after a short time due to high traffic volume on the highway, according to the Passaic Police Department Press Release issued on August 4th, 2022.

Missing Person Reporting on 7/31/22 Primary Officer Miguel Lugo Badge #397

On Sunday, July 31, 2022, at approximately 10:00 pm, Thadius’ sister Amber and I came to the Passaic Police Department to file a missing person report. While speaking to the Officer at the front desk/window, Amber informed the Officer that her brother was missing following the foot pursuit that occurred the day prior, it had been over 24 hours, and no one had heard from or seen her brother.

The officer stated, “He’s probably hiding from us; he’ll pop back up when he is ready.” Amber then informed the officer she wanted to file the report because this is not like my brother to not reach out to anyone. We also told him that we heard various stories from community members saying Thadius was either on the highway or in the water (Passaic River). We then expressed how that leaves me uncomfortable hearing this.

The officer stated, “They indeed received reports of a man running up 21 South, and they decided to call off the foot pursuit; he then assured us Thadius did not jump in the river.” Amber replied, "I would still like to file a missing person’s report." The officer stated, “If it makes you feel any better, I will start the process, but someone else will have to finish it because they are switching shifts.”

We sat at the bench for some time when finally, an officer named Miguel Lugo #397 came to the door and asked Amber to fill a missing person’s report out to the best of her knowledge and if we had any photographs of Thadius to send them to his email. Amber filled out the top portion of the missing person’s report and asked Officer Lugo if she had to fill out the bottom part, which asked various questions such as Thadius’ last known location, where he frequents, his address and my information as the complainant, Officer Lugo informed me that this was not important. The most important part was the description of Thadius and what he was wearing. He then told us that if we hear from Thadius, we must let them know immediately because he will be in the system as a missing person.

Body found In the Passaic River on 8/1/22 by Kayaker

On Monday, August 1, 2022, around 2:00 pm, Amber received a phone call from Captain Guzman from the Passaic Police Department. Captain Guzman informed her that he would oversee this missing person case and asked why we considered Thadius missing. Amber explained to him how no one had heard from or seen her brother and the stories we heard from the community. He then asked if she saw or heard from him and that he knew she wouldn't want to see him in their custody but must let them know because if not, he would still be labeled as a missing person. Amber replied I would rather see him in your custody than not know his whereabouts. They then get off the phone.

Approximately 10-15 minutes later, Captain Guzman calls Amber back and informs her that if they thought her brother was in the water, they would have had to set up a perimeter and search, to which she replied, “I thought so.” At that point, they get off the phone again.

At about 6:30 pm, Amber received a phone call from one of her sisters crying hysterically, telling her that everyone was saying Thadius Wilder was found dead in the Passaic River. He was found behind the burned-down factory (Qualco Pool Chemical Plant) located at 225 Passaic Street, Passaic, NJ 07055.

At approximately 8:30 pm, we went to Passaic Police Department and requested to speak to an officer regarding the body found in the river. When we approached the police door, we met with Sgt. Dino Bordamonte, badge #366 stated they did not have any information. He said they didn’t even know if it was male or female, and the body had not yet been removed from the water. He then informed us that if they could identify the person and that it was Thadius, Amber would be notified.

Impatiently waiting, we received numerous calls from community members extending their condolences claiming officers on the scene had spread word of mouth that the individual was my brother. On or around 9:40 pm, two police detectives and a patrol officer came to Amber's home and notified her that Thadius was found in the river.

Since then, we have been denied the right to identify Thadius' body correctly; the medical examiner made the identification using the dental records and tattoo photographs we sent them. They refused our request to see him. Our OPRA requests have not been completed and met, and we have been misinformed and lied to by the Mayor and Passaic Police Department on several occasions. Most recently, it has come to our attention that officers involved in the pursuit did not activate their body cameras, nor is there any police vehicle footage or audio from this day. This is a department policy violation and a violation of the State Attorney General's Body Worn Camera Policy.

We have exhausted all options with the Passaic Police Department and feel it is necessary to seek legal representation to get the answers we need and Justice for Thadius Ernest Wilder. We have already met with a highly experienced attorney with over 50 years of experience. The estimated amount required for service, including a private investigator, is $13,300.00. Any additional funding received will be equally shared amongst his five children, Tazhan (15), Lyla (9), Jace(7), Tristan(2), and Thadius Jr(1).

Thadius' family , children, and I would like to thank you for taking the time to read his story and help him get the justice he rightfully deserves. We would also like to say; that if you cannot donate, you can still help us by sharing his story and letting his voice be heard.