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Zandra Baez

Age : 66

Gender : Female

Race : Latino/a/e

Date : 06/09/2021

Location : Mt. Ephraim Avenue and Woodlyne Avenue

City : Woodlynne

County : Camden

State : New Jersey

Agency : Camden County Police Department

Officer(s) :Officer Kevin Randolph Gilbert Jr.

Cause of Death : Vehicle

Event : Bystander killed after being struck by police vehicle

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

NARRATIVE:
On 06/09/2021, at approximately 10:55 p.m., Camden County Police Department Officer Kevin Randolph Gilbert Jr. was on duty and in uniform, driving a marked patrol vehicle southbound on Mount Ephraim Avenue near Woodlynne Avenue. Gilbert was not responding to a call or police alert and was not operating the vehicle with emergency lights or siren.
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Zandra Baez, 66, was crossing Mount Ephraim Avenue when Gilbert's patrol vehicle struck her. Investigators determined Gilbert was traveling approximately 36 mph in a 35-mph zone and had a steady green traffic signal in his direction of travel. Early police statements reported no indication that Gilbert was speeding or distracted.
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Gilbert immediately stopped and radioed for emergency assistance. Baez sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene at approximately 11:09 p.m.
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The New Jersey Attorney General's Office of Public Integrity and Accountability investigated the collision. Investigators obtained witness statements, video evidence and autopsy findings. The Attorney General subsequently released Gilbert's body-worn-camera recording and footage from two private security cameras near the crash scene. The security footage captured the immediate aftermath of the impact, including Baez being thrown from the patrol vehicle as Gilbert stopped.
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Baez's daughter, Juana Baez, publicly challenged the lack of criminal accountability and said her mother was a working woman who had routinely walked in the area for years. She subsequently organized a public petition calling for accountability in her mother's death.
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DISPOSITION:
The Attorney General's Office presented the fatal collision to a state grand jury after completing its investigation. On 11/07/2022, the grand jury voted no bill, determining that no criminal charges should be filed against Officer Kevin Randolph Gilbert Jr.
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CIVIL LITIGATION:
Baez's estate subsequently pursued a civil claim against the Camden County Police Department. The Estate of Zandra Baez v. Camden County Metro Police Department resulted in a reported $1.275 million recovery in 2025.
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TOTAL FATALITIES/INJURIES: 1 fatality

SOURCE LINKS :

https://www.nj.com/camden/2021/06/woman-struck-and-killed-by-camden-county-police-car.html
https://www.phillyvoice.com/woman-dies-after-being-hit-by-camden-county-police-vehicle/
https://www.courierpostonline.com/story/news/local/south-jersey/2021/06/10/pedestrian-struck-and-killed-by-camden-police-vehicle/7647895002/
https://www.inquirer.com/news/new-jersey/camden-county-police-vehicle-fatally-strikes-woman-woodlynne-20210610.html
https://6abc.com/metro-camden-county-police-officer-zandra-baez-kevin-randolph-gilbert-jr-pedestrian-struck-and-killed/10802097/
https://www.rlsmedia.com/article/footage-released-accident-where-police-vehicle-fatally-struck-pedestrian-camden
https://currently.att.yahoo.com/att/camden-county-officer-cleared-patrol-144420433.html