A Ventnor police officer accused of sharing surveillance video showing a woman engaged in a sexual act inside a holding cell has been indicted.
Ryan M. Bonanni, 24, who lives in Egg Harbor Township, used his position to access surveillance video of the woman — identified only as B.W. — inside a holding cell following her arrest July 6, according to the charges.
The video showed the woman in various stages of undress and engaged in a sexual act alone in the cell, BreakingAC previously reported.
Bonanni allegedly recorded the videos on his personal cell phone, and then sent them to others through Snapchat.
He did this without the other arresting officers' knowledge. The video was allegedly sent to other officers, along with friends and family.
In addition to the videos and text messages, video “captions” pertaining to B.W. also were found on Bonanni’s cell phone, according to the Prosecutor's Office.
A grand jury indicted Bonanni on Wednesday on charges of second-degree official misconduct and third-degree charges of invasion of privacy and criminal computer activity. He was released on a summons.
He has been suspended without pay.
The investigation was conducted by the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office Professional Standards and Accountability Unit.
“We understand the charges against a Ventnor officer reflect poorly on our department, but they do not depict the department as a whole," Ventnor Police Chief Joseph Wootton said at the time of the arrest. "The men and women of the Ventnor City Police Department will continue to serve the citizens and visitors of Ventnor City with the utmost honor, integrity and respect.”
Ventnor police administration became aware of the incident July 7, according to a statement the department sent to BreakingAC.
"Due to the nature of the incident and based upon Internal Affairs guidelines, Ventnor City police alerted the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office," the statement read.
The investigation was turned over to the county Prosecutor's Office.
