Man Dies Shortly After Being Arrested in Domestic Dispute

Police are investigating the in-custody death of a Newark man who died shortly after being arrested Sunday.

Newark police responded to a call on Oxford Street in Newark at around 12:55 a.m. from the wife of Michael Mercado, 35, of Newark, who said she was being assaulted by her husband, according to Katherine Carter, spokesperson for the Essex County Prosecutor's Office.

After Mercado, who struggled with police and resisted arrest, was handcuffed, he became motionless. Emergency medical personnel were called to the scene and Mercado was transported to University Hospital where he was pronounced dead. The cause of death is pending toxicology reports.

The Essex County Prosecutor's Office Professional Standards Bureau and the Newark Internal Affairs Unit are investigating the death.

– Staff reports