Robert Stolarik, New York Times Photographer, Gets Equipment Back After Alleged Assault By NYPD

Robert Stolarik — the New York Times photographer who was allegedly assaulted by the NYPD — recently got his equipment back.

Stolarik was arrested earlier in August after police officers attempted to stop him from photographing a street fight. He has alleged that officers dragged him to the ground where he was kicked, and sustained minor injuries. Stolarik was charged with obstructing government administration and resisting arrest. The NYPD also took his cameras and his press credentials.

On Monday, the National Press Photographers Association reported that Stolarik's equipment is back in his hands. "My cameras were returned to me on Friday at 3:30," Stolarik told the NPPA. "Getting my gear back is the first step in returning to some normalcy. The next things for me will be getting the charges dropped and having my credentials returned to me."

In an earlier interview with Daily Intel, the photographer had estimated that the confiscated equipment was worth $20,000. "I'm a freelance journalist — without those tools I can't work," he had said.

Stolarik met with the NYPD's internal affairs bureau, which is investigating his complaint, on Monday. Both Stolarik and NPPA general counsel Mickey Osterreicher have been demanding the return of his equipment and press credentials since the arrest.

Osterreicher reacted to this latest development, saying, "While I am pleased that Robert has his cameras back, this incident, like so many others around the country should never have happened in the first place."

(h/t Poynter)