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At about 11:02 p.m. on November 12, 2024, Guttenberg officers responded to 68th Street and Bellevue Avenue in Guttenberg, New Jersey, after a 911 call reported a disturbance.

Guttenberg Police Officer Brandon Sauerwald and Detective Jaber Jaber spoke with a property owner who said he had rented a room to a woman from California, but she never checked in. Instead, two men and one woman with a dog tried to enter the property. When the owner denied them entry, an argument started, and one of the men, later identified as Brandon Lee Ortega, 26, of Mexia, Texas, reportedly brandished a blue firearm.

Officers canvassed the area. Officer Sauerwald located Ortega near 7000 John F. Kennedy Blvd. East. During a brief foot chase, Ortega fled and allegedly tried to carjack a person. After that failed, the driver chased Ortega, and Officer Sauerwald continued after him.

As Officer Sauerwald approached, Ortega climbed over a railing and fell about 68 feet. Fire department and EMS personnel responded, and Ortega was pronounced dead at the scene. A gun with a black grip and metallic blue coloring was recovered on Ortega.

A state grand jury concluded its deliberations on March 23, 2026, and voted "no bill," with no criminal charges filed against Officer Sauerwald.

Listen to the 911 calls and dispatch audio for this incident here.