HOWELL — A suspected car thief died not long after he was taken into custody on Saturday, despite arresting officers' attempts to save his life.

Derek Boyle, 43, of Jackson, was arrested on Saturday afternoon after police were alerted to a man acting erratically while standing next to a vehicle.

Responding officers determined that the vehicle had been stolen and that Boyle had other warrants out for his arrest, according to the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office.

Prosecutors said Boyle's health "began to deteriorate" when he was being taken into custody, at which point emergency personnel on the scene gave him the heroin overdose naloxone in an attempt to help him. The efforts proved unsuccessful as Boyle died not long after being taken to Kimball Medical Center.

An investigation by the prosecutor's office determined that "no physical force was used at any time on Boyle while he was in custody." A cause of death has not been determined pending the results of an autopsy by the Middlesex County Regional Medical Examiner's Office.

Howell Police Chief Andrew Kudrick said his officers did not contribute in any way to Boyle's death.

"I am confident the actions taken by my officers and supported by the video evidence are consistent with the professional and high standards of conduct and performance they display every day," he said.

Police and the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office are asking anyone with information about the incident to contact Detective Ryu Washburne from the prosecutor's office at 1-800-533-7443, or Howell Police Lt. John Yurgel at 732-620-4280.

 

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