Two nurses admit to assaulting elderly residents at Ocean County long-term care facilities

One pepper-sprayed a man with dementia. The other struck a man with a broom and tried to cover it up.

Two nurses have pleaded guilty in separate cases to assaulting elderly residents at nursing and rehabilitation centers in Ocean County, state officials said Friday.

One nurse admitted spraying a man with dementia several times with pepper spray and leaving him without care. The other admitted striking a 77-year-old resident with a broom and attempting to persuade someone to withhold information from investigators.

Both nurses will permanently surrender their nursing licenses as part of their plea agreements.

Man sprayed with pepper spray

Lisa L. Erikson, 57, of Manchester, pleaded guilty to second-degree aggravated assault, third-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, and third-degree neglect of an elderly adult.

Erikson was working as a licensed practical nurse at Whiting Gardens Rehabilitation and Nursing Center on March 19, 2025, when she assaulted an elderly resident who had dementia, depression, and anxiety, according to court records.

Erikson took out her pepper spray, walked toward the resident, and sprayed him at close range as he tried to shield himself. She then sprayed him again and left him on the floor.

The man remained unattended for several minutes before crawling to his feet and entering another resident’s room.

Erikson and another person then forcibly removed him from that room, put him in his own room, and shut the door without providing him with medical assistance, according to court records.

Police and emergency medical workers later responded to the facility, treated the man, and transported him to a hospital.

As part of her guilty plea, Erikson admitted that she was not authorized to use the pepper spray on the resident and that she used it for an unlawful purpose. She also admitted leaving the resident without care despite having a duty to care for him.

Prosecutors will recommend that Erikson serve 364 days in a county jail as a condition of probation. Her sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 13 before Superior Court Judge Kimarie Rahill in Ocean County.

Resident struck with broom

In the second case, Patricia Lindo-Ahono, 60, of Irvington, pleaded guilty to third-degree witness tampering and fourth-degree assault upon an institutionalized elderly person.

Lindo-Ahono was the director of nursing at Crystal Lake Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center in Bayville on June 24, 2023, when she struck a 77-year-old resident with a broom, according to court filings.

After the assault, Lindo-Ahono attempted to persuade someone to withhold information about the incident from investigators, state officials said.

Prosecutors will recommend that she receive three years of probation without jail time, complete court-ordered anger management classes, and perform 50 hours of community service.

Lindo-Ahono is scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 30 by Superior Court Judge Guy P. Ryan in Ocean County.

“Residents of our care facilities deserve to be treated with dignity and respect,” Attorney General Jennifer Davenport said in a statement about Lindo-Ahono’s case. “The defendant abdicated her responsibilities, assaulted a resident, and then attempted to cover it up.”

Davenport called Erikson’s conduct “deeply disturbing.”

“This defendant was entrusted with the care of an elderly resident and instead assaulted and neglected him,” Davenport said. “Such conduct is wholly unacceptable, and those who abuse or neglect elderly residents in their care must be held accountable.”

Both cases were prosecuted by the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit in the state Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor.

If you suspect Medicaid fraud or elder abuse or neglect, report it to the state Medicaid Fraud Control Unit at 609-292-1272 or NJMFCU@njdcj.org.

Editor’s note: A previous version of this story listed Complete Care as the owner of the facility. The facility was sold before this incident occurred. The Vindicator regrets the error.