Hoboken Woman Alleges False Imprisonment After Involuntary Commitment

A Hoboken woman has filed a civil lawsuit alleging she was unlawfully detained and committed to psychiatric care without consent, raising questions about medical intervention and civil liberties.

On January 30, 2023, Sonia Owchariw, a cancer survivor with Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria (PNH), visited Hoboken police headquarters to report ongoing stalking. Her complaints related to stalking by a former partner date back to at least 2017.

During the interaction, Owchariw told officers, “Situations like this can give me high blood pressure,” and emphasized concerns about her physical health. According to the police report, officers believed she “may be suffering from an ongoing mental illness” and contacted the Hoboken Volunteer Ambulance Corps (HVAC) to evaluate her. Owchariw declined treatment, signed a Refusal of Medical Attention form, and left the station. Police later contacted the Mobile Crisis Unit and shared the information from the encounter.

The next morning, January 31, Owchariw alleges she was approached at the Hoboken Shelter by a mental health screener and two police officers. She claims she was taken against her will to Hoboken University Medical Center (HUMC) and later transferred to Jersey City Medical Center (JCMC) for a total of 14 days.

Owchariw’s lawsuit, filed in December 2024, names multiple defendants, including Hoboken police, HVAC, and medical institutions. Her claims include false imprisonment, negligence, excessive force, and defamation.

Owchariw says obtaining body cam footage is one of her biggest concerns, as she believes it would show she was forcibly taken. While she successfully received footage from January 30, she was denied access to the following day’s video. Owchariw argues procedural obstacles were used to ensure the footage was destroyed.

HVAC has sought dismissal, claiming Owchariw called them on January 31 and was transported without incident. Owchariw disputes this, alleging police and a screener forcibly removed her. Her opposition filings challenge HVAC’s version and deny calling for transport.