Oops, wrong guy: Man tells story of early morning raid
Thursday, 6:29 a.m.
Time never stands still but for a young man named Josh Horner. Events of September 21 put his life in slow motion.
Horner replayed a mental tape of what he recalls during a police raid Thursday as approximately 20 law enforcement officers, some from the New Jersey State Police, executed a search warrant in a house located on the 800 block of Division St.
Horner, 24, maneuvered his eyes slightly toward his forehead as raw memories produced tears that welled but never fell out of his eyes.
“It was 6:30. No make that, 6:29 when I heard the sound of the door kicked in and the next thing I knew there were guns pointed in my face. One guy had his foot on my feet and then they pulled the covers off me,” Horner said.
“My two children are only four and 8 years old. They watched police pull guns on me. I mean, what am I supposed to tell them? How do I make that right? It should have never happened.”
Horner appears street tough but his neighbors call him a good dad who dotes on his two kids. It’s only when his kids become part of the discussion that he’s moved to tears.
“My (four-year-old) daughter (wet) the bed (Wednesday) night. They wouldn’t even let me change her. She stood or sat in that piss for two-and-a-half hours while we were taken into police custody. They took us to Lamberton Rd. to the Prosecutor’s Office. We all got examined and talked to. It’s just a bunch of nonsense that had nothing to do with me and nothing to do with my children,” Horner said.
Horner said officers collected cellphones and all electronic equipment from the house.
“They went to my grandfather’s house and locked up four people. One of them is still in jail. Nobody from my house got arrested. Nothing was found,” Horner alleged.
A neighbor handed Horner a business card apparently left by New Jersey State Police Det. Sgt. Paul Sciortino of the Police Digital Technology Investigations Unit.
Sciortino identified himself as not the lead investigator on the Division St. raid. He confirmed that a law enforcement action occurred.
“I can say that Horner has nothing to do with our investigation although a relative was arrested. But this has nothing to do with Horner,” Sciortino explained. The detective noted that this case involves child exploitation.
“Horner’s children were brought to the Prosecutor’s Office to speak with professionals who deal with such issues. The kids are all right,” Sciortino said.
Apparently, the investigation had stemmed from information police received prior to Horner moving into the residence.
Sciortino confirmed neighbors’ assertions.
“He’s a hardworking young man who looks after his kids. If this is about Horner doing or allowing something bad to his two kids, then they’ve got the wrong guy,” a neighbor said.
Horner spent several hours with law enforcement officials released him and his children.
Friday afternoon, Horner had returned to his hustle.
“It’s a good hustle,” Horner said. “I’m just trying to make it. I don’t know how to explain all of this to my kids. That’s the one thing that upsets me the most.”