Man accused of releasing dog on Ringwood police dies while in custody

The man accused of releasing his dog on police in Ringwood, which led to officers' shooting and killing the dog, died after suffering an apparent seizure at the Passaic County Jail on Tuesday night, authorities said.

John Baker, 53, of Spring Hill, Florida, was confined to the jail’s intake unit when he appeared to suffer a seizure, said Bill Maer, a spokesman for the Passaic County Sheriff's Office.

At about 10:08 p.m., jail staff responded to a report of an inmate having a medical issue, Maer said. Baker was then taken to St. Joseph’s University Medical Center in Paterson, where he was pronounced dead at 11:21 p.m., Maer said.

The exact cause of death is not known and the matter is under investigation, he said.

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Wanaque police attempted to stop Baker's tractor-trailer when it was driving erratically on Ringwood Avenue on Monday, but he refused to stop, Ringwood Police Chief Joseph Walker said.

Ringwood officers responded and forced Baker to a stop on Greenwood Lake Turnpike. Baker was at nearly seven times the legal limit for a commercial vehicle driver, which is a blood-alcohol content of 0.04, Wanaque police Capt. Angelo Calabro said.

Walker said Baker intended for the dog to attack the officers when he released it, and the dog lunged at an officer.

Once he unleashed the pit bull, two officers fired their guns — with one officer shooting once and the other shooting four or five times, Walker said. There was no further struggle when Baker was taken into custody, Walker said.

Baker was due in state Superior Court in Passaic County on Wednesday, facing five counts of aggravated assault on police and drunken-driving charges.

The last person to die in Passaic County Jail custody was Omar McClean about five months ago. McClean, 40, died in his cell in the early-morning hours of Sept. 30, 2019.

He had been in jail for 10 months after being charged with burglary and two counts of criminal sexual contact with a child. McClean was unresponsive in his cell when guards tried to awaken him for breakfast, and attempts to revive him were unsuccessful.

Another inmate, Tyree Lusk, 34, died of an apparent drug overdose on July 23, 2017. Lusk, who was awaiting trial on armed robbery and drug charges, had been ordered to give a urine sample hours before his death. But he spilled the cup and never submitted the sample, according to incident reports.

Anthony Zurita is a breaking news reporter for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to all the major news happening in North Jersey, subscribe here. To get breaking news directly to your inbox, sign up for our newsletter.

Email: zuritaa@northjersey.com Twitter: @AnthonyRZurita