On June 4, 2026, a licensed practical nurse employed at Oaks Integrated Care in Winslow Township, New Jersey, was arrested and charged with aggravated arson, attempted murder, kidnapping, and terroristic threats after authorities allege he set fire to his apartment complex, torched his own vehicle outside the behavioral health facility where he worked, entered the building carrying a gasoline can, and confined a co-worker inside a locked office. Patients were inside the facility at the time. According to published reports, the nurse, identified as Taquan N. Ayers, 25, of Gloucester Township, was taken into custody without incident and transported to the Camden County Correctional Facility pending a detention hearing in Superior Court.

The criminal allegations are extraordinary. But the question this case raises — the one that matters to every licensed nurse in New Jersey and Pennsylvania reading this — is not about the specific facts of this arrest. It is about what happens to a nursing license the moment a nurse is charged with a crime. Any crime. Because the answer is the same regardless of what the charges are, and most nurses do not find out until it is too late.

The Criminal Case and the Licensing Case Are Two Separate Proceedings

This is the single most important thing a nurse facing any criminal charge needs to understand. When you are arrested and charged with a crime in New Jersey, two separate legal processes begin simultaneously — and they operate on entirely different tracks.

The first is the criminal case. It moves through the Superior Court system, is governed by the New Jersey Code of Criminal Justice under N.J.S.A. Title 2C, and carries the consequences most people think of — jail, probation, fines, a criminal record.

The second is the professional licensing proceeding. It is initiated by or reported to the New Jersey Board of Nursing, operates under the New Jersey Nurse Practice Act, N.J.S.A. 45:11-23 et seq. and its accompanying regulations at N.J.A.C. 13:37, and carries consequences that are entirely separate from whatever happens in criminal court — including suspension or permanent revocation of your license to practice nursing.

A criminal acquittal does not close the Board’s investigation. A dismissed charge does not protect your license. The standards of proof, the timelines, and the consequences are different in each proceeding — and decisions made in one can directly damage your position in the other if they are not coordinated from the beginning.

New Jersey Law Requires You to Self-Report

Most nurses assume that if they stay quiet, the Board of Nursing will not find out about an arrest or charge until there is a conviction. That assumption is dangerous and wrong.

Under N.J.A.C. 13:37-5.8, New Jersey nurses have a mandatory self-reporting obligation to the Board of Nursing. You are required to report to the Board if you are indicted or convicted of a crime involving moral turpitude or a crime adversely relating to your practice. The regulation does not require a conviction to trigger the obligation — an indictment alone is sufficient.

The practical implication: if you are arrested and charged with a crime, you need legal counsel immediately — not when the criminal case concludes, not after your first court date, and not after you have already made statements to your employer or the Board. The self-reporting obligation means that disclosure is coming whether you manage it or not. The question is whether you control the narrative around it.

Failure to self-report when required is itself an independent ground for discipline. You can face adverse action not only for the underlying conduct but for the failure to disclose it. This compounds the problem significantly.

In the Ayers case, the criminal charges — aggravated arson, attempted murder, kidnapping — would almost certainly trigger both mandatory self-reporting and independent Board investigation regardless of whether self-reporting occurred. The facility’s employer-reporting obligations under N.J.A.C. 13:37-6.3 would also be activated. But for the typical nurse facing a DUI, a drug possession charge, an assault allegation, or any other criminal matter, self-reporting may be the mechanism that puts the Board on notice — and how that report is framed, and when it is made, can materially affect what happens next.

What the New Jersey Board of Nursing Can Do to Your License

The New Jersey Board of Nursing, operating under the Division of Consumer Affairs, has broad authority to take disciplinary action against a licensed nurse under N.J.S.A. 45:1-21. The grounds for discipline include the following.

Criminal convictions and indictments. A conviction of a crime involving moral turpitude or a crime adversely relating to nursing practice is an independent ground for discipline. The Board does not need to find that you were negligent in patient care. The mere fact of the conviction is sufficient.

Conduct reflecting adversely on fitness to practice. This is a broad catchall that gives the Board authority to act even in the absence of a criminal conviction. Off-duty conduct — including arrests, even without conviction — can fall within this category depending on the nature of the allegations and the Board’s assessment of the risk to public safety.

Failure to self-report. The failure to disclose a required event to the Board is itself a disciplinary ground, separate from the underlying conduct.

Employer-initiated referrals. When a nurse is terminated or suspended by an employer following a criminal arrest, the employer has its own reporting obligations to the Board under New Jersey regulations. The Board will receive notice of the separation and the reason for it regardless of whether the nurse reports independently.

The range of consequences runs from probation and conditions of practice — mandatory drug testing, supervision requirements, and practice restrictions — to license suspension and full revocation. In cases involving serious criminal charges, particularly those involving violence, the Board can seek an emergency temporary suspension pending the outcome of the investigation, allowing it to act before the criminal case concludes.

The Charges That Most Commonly Trigger Nursing License Investigations in New Jersey

While the Ayers case involves an extreme set of allegations, the reality is that most nursing license investigations in New Jersey are triggered by far more common circumstances.

Substance abuse and drug-related charges. Drug possession, DUI/DWI, diversion of controlled substances, and prescription fraud are among the most frequent triggers for nursing license proceedings in New Jersey. The Board takes substance-related matters seriously because of the direct access nurses have to controlled medications in clinical settings. The Board’s Recovery and Monitoring Program (RAMP) exists specifically to address this population, and in some cases voluntary participation can mitigate the severity of disciplinary consequences. However, enrollment in RAMP without proper legal guidance can also expose a nurse to additional monitoring obligations and compliance requirements that carry their own consequences if not met. If you are facing drug-related charges alongside a nursing license investigation, our drug offenses defense page outlines how we approach the criminal side of these matters in coordination with the licensing proceeding.

Assault and domestic violence charges. A conviction for simple assault, aggravated assault, or a domestic violence-related offense raises Board concerns about patient safety. Even a disorderly persons offense under N.J.S.A. 2C:12-1 can generate a Board inquiry, particularly if the facts involve conduct toward a vulnerable individual.

Theft and financial crimes. Theft charges — including shoplifting, financial fraud, or theft by deception — raise questions about the integrity a nurse is required to demonstrate in patient care settings. These charges can affect a nurse’s ability to maintain or obtain a surety bond, access controlled substances, or satisfy the good moral character standard required for licensure under N.J.S.A. 45:1-21(e).

Sex offenses. Any sex offense conviction carries immediate and severe consequences for professional licensure in New Jersey, including mandatory registration requirements that are independently incompatible with nursing practice in most clinical settings.

Off-duty conduct that reflects on fitness to practice. The Board is not limited to conduct occurring in a clinical setting. Conduct that demonstrates a pattern of poor judgment, dishonesty, or risk to public safety — even entirely outside the scope of nursing practice — can form the basis of a disciplinary proceeding.

Why a Criminal Defense Attorney Alone Is Not Enough

When a nurse is arrested, the instinct is to hire a criminal defense attorney and focus entirely on the criminal case. That instinct is understandable but incomplete.

A criminal defense attorney who does not account for the licensing consequences of every decision made in the criminal proceeding can inadvertently cause serious harm to the nurse’s professional future. The most dangerous moment is the plea negotiation.

Under Padilla v. Kentucky, 559 U.S. 356 (2010), criminal defense attorneys are constitutionally required to advise non-citizen clients about the deportation consequences of a guilty plea. While Padilla addressed immigration specifically, the underlying principle has broader application: a plea that appears favorable on the criminal side can carry devastating collateral consequences on the licensing side that were never disclosed to the client.

A guilty plea to a charge that triggers mandatory Board reporting — even a downgraded, negotiated charge that carries no jail time — can still constitute a ground for license suspension or revocation. A plea to a disorderly persons offense may seem like a victory in criminal court but function as an admission that activates the Board’s authority to act.

The criminal defense strategy and the licensing defense strategy must be coordinated simultaneously. If you are facing criminal charges as a licensed nurse, our criminal defense page details how we approach the criminal side of these matters in coordination with the licensing proceeding.

How a Professional License Defense Proceeding Works

A professional license defense proceeding before the New Jersey Board of Nursing is an administrative proceeding, not a criminal one. It is governed by the Administrative Procedure Act, N.J.S.A. 52:14B-1 et seq., and proceeds through the Office of Administrative Law if the matter is contested.

The process typically moves as follows: a complaint is received or a triggering event occurs — arrest, conviction, employer report, or self-report; the Board’s investigative staff conducts an inquiry; the nurse is given the opportunity to respond; the matter is either resolved through a consent order or referred to the Office of Administrative Law for a formal hearing before an Administrative Law Judge; the ALJ issues an initial decision; and the Board adopts, rejects, or modifies that decision.

The standard of proof in a Board proceeding is preponderance of the evidence — significantly lower than the beyond-a-reasonable-doubt standard in criminal court. This means the Board can find grounds for discipline even where the criminal case did not result in a conviction or where charges were dismissed.

The strategy in a professional license defense proceeding is distinct from criminal defense. It involves character evidence, remediation evidence, demonstration of insight into the underlying conduct, expert testimony in some cases, and negotiation of consent order terms that may allow the nurse to continue practicing under conditions rather than facing outright revocation. A nurse who proactively seeks treatment, voluntarily discloses, and demonstrates accountability before the Board is in a fundamentally different position than one who is forced into the process after an employer report or criminal conviction. None of this happens by accident — it requires an attorney who understands both the criminal side and the administrative side and can manage both tracks without allowing either to undermine the other.

The Nurse Licensure Compact and Interstate Implications

New Jersey is a member of the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC), which allows nurses to hold a multistate license and practice in any of the participating jurisdictions without obtaining a separate license in each state.

Disciplinary action taken by the New Jersey Board of Nursing is reported to the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) and entered into the Nursys database, which is accessible to every Board of Nursing in the country. A license suspension or revocation in New Jersey does not stay in New Jersey. It follows the nurse nationally and can affect the ability to obtain or maintain licensure in any other compact state.

For nurses practicing in multiple jurisdictions — including Pennsylvania, which shares a significant nursing workforce with South Jersey — this means that a disciplinary proceeding in one state can trigger parallel proceedings in another. Pennsylvania has its own State Board of Nursing and its own regulatory framework, and it monitors Nursys activity for Pennsylvania license holders. A New Jersey nurse with a Pennsylvania license needs both proceedings addressed — not just one.

What to Do If You Are a Nurse Facing Criminal Charges in New Jersey or Pennsylvania

The steps are not complicated, but the timing is everything.

Retain legal counsel immediately — before making any statements. Do not make statements to your employer, to investigators, to the Board of Nursing, or in any written response to a Board inquiry without first consulting an attorney. Everything you say in one proceeding can be used in the other.

Do not wait to address the licensing issue. The instinct to defer the licensing matter until the criminal case concludes is understandable but strategically wrong in most cases. The Board will not wait. Employer reports trigger immediate Board activity. Voluntary, proactive disclosure — handled correctly and in coordination with legal counsel — consistently produces better outcomes than forced disclosure.

Understand your self-reporting obligation. Know the timeline and the trigger. Consult with an attorney immediately about whether and when your obligation to report to the Board has been activated, what you are required to disclose, and how to frame that disclosure in a way that does not unnecessarily prejudice your position.

Do not enroll in any remediation program without legal advice. RAMP, therapy, substance abuse treatment, and other programs may ultimately be part of your defense strategy. But entering them without legal guidance — or entering them in a way that is inconsistent with the Board’s requirements — can create compliance obligations that become additional grounds for discipline if not met.

Coordinate both proceedings from the start. The attorney handling the criminal matter and the attorney handling the licensing matter need to be in communication. What matters is that neither track moves forward without full awareness of the other.

We Represent Licensed Professionals Facing Criminal Charges and Board Investigations

At Ratliff Jackson LLP, we represent licensed professionals — nurses, physicians, pharmacists, teachers, contractors, social workers, financial advisors, and others — who are facing the dual crisis of a criminal charge and a professional licensing investigation. We understand that the criminal case is not the only threat you face, and we build your defense with both proceedings in view from day one.

Our professional license defense practice is anchored in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, where the overwhelming majority of our professional license clients are licensed and practicing. We appear before the New Jersey Board of Nursing, the Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing, and the Office of Administrative Law in New Jersey on behalf of nurses and other healthcare professionals facing disciplinary proceedings.

We also have licensed attorneys available in Alabama, California, Hawaii, Michigan, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., allowing us to handle multi-state licensing matters and coordinate defense across jurisdictions when a disciplinary proceeding in one state threatens licensure in another.

Whether you are a registered nurse, licensed practical nurse, nurse practitioner, advanced practice registered nurse, or a licensed professional in another discipline, the approach is the same: we intervene early, we manage both tracks simultaneously, and we protect not just your freedom — but your career.

If you are facing a criminal charge or a Board investigation and you hold a professional license, do not wait. Call us at (856) 209-3111 or schedule a confidential consultation today. The earlier we are retained, the more options exist to shape the outcome before positions harden and options close.