Around 3:15 PM on August 27, 2025, Patrolman Cory Defeo with the Eatontown Police Department initially responded to a report of a reported shoplifting in progress at the Target on 56 State Route 36. He made contact with the asset protection employee, and he watched on screen as a female stuffed 2 black bags full of items that she was likely to shoplift. Additional officers waited outside the store so that they could apprehend her once she left the store. As soon as she exited the store, multiple officers apprehended her and placed her under arrest. She initially refused to identify herself, but she was eventually identified as 25-year-old Lauren Monae Hillsmon. The total value of items that she attempted to steal was determined to be $480.13. After she was placed under arrest, Patrolman Defeo placed her in the patrol car and subsequently transported her to the Eatontown Police Department for further processing. At the station, Lauren initially gave the officers a hard time by refusing to identify herself. Faced with the possibility of being transported to jail, she eventually gave the officers some information. The officers eventually identified her correctly, and she was finger printed and photographed. She was charged with Shoplifting (2C:20-11B(1)), Resisting Arrest (2C:29-2A(1)), and Hindering - giving false information (2C:29-3B(4)). After her summonses were issued to her, she was released pending her court appearance. ---------------------------------------------- Please LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, and consider supporting this channel (email us for more information). Our content is shared for educational and news gathering purposes. We are in compliance with YouTube's Fair Use Policy because we edit several long clips into a concise story. This is similar to other law enforcement channels on YouTube. All videos and case documents were obtained pursuant to the New Jersey Open Public Records Act, N.J.S.A. 47:1A-1 et seq. (P.L. 2024, c.16). Defendants are considered innocent until proven guilty. The New Jersey Supreme Court has previously affirmed in Salzano v. North Jersey Media Group, 993 A.2d 778 (2010) that “The fair-report privilege reflects the judgment that the need, in a self-governing society, for free-flowing information about matters of public interest outweighs concerns over the uncompensated injury to a person's reputation.” This video advances a compelling public interest. The summary of events was based on records that are “open to public view through open access to public records” as defined in the Salzano case. In Ramos v. Flowers, 429 N.J. Super. 13, the Appellate Division of the Superior Court has also affirmed the right to film law enforcement interactions.

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