EAST HANOVER TOWNSHIP, NJ (Morris County) – A former licensed nurse has been sentenced in connection with the death of a disabled man who passed away in February 2023 shortly after being transported on his school bus in East Hanover Township, according to Morris County Prosecutor Robert Carroll.
On February 25, 2025, Emilio J. Rivera, 30, of Carlstadt, pled guilty to third-degree endangering the welfare of another person and third-degree neglect of a disabled person before Judge Ralph Amirata, J.S.C., Carroll said.
Rivera was sentenced on April 4 by Judge Amirata to three years of probation, conditioned upon 90 days in the Morris County Correctional Facility, with up to 45 days to be served in the Sheriff’s Labor Assistance Program (SLAP). The defendant was also ordered to have no contact with the victim’s family. Additionally, Rivera consented to the revocation of his nursing license, Carroll said.
The charges stem from a 9-1-1 call on February 10, 2023, in East Hanover Township. Police and emergency personnel were called to a residence on a report of an unconscious male, Carroll said.
The man, Matthew Rossi, 19, who was wheelchair-bound and non-verbal, had just arrived home on the bus from his school. EMS personnel and East Hanover Police officers attempted CPR and other life-saving measures, but the victim was subsequently pronounced dead, Carroll said.
In accordance with policy, the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office and East Hanover Police Department conducted an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the victim’s death. The investigation revealed that the victim was accompanied on the bus by a licensed nurse, Rivera. Rivera was legally responsible for the care of Matthew but failed to perform certain necessary acts, which created a substantial risk of serious bodily injury, Carroll said.
