Port St. Lucie police officer Mathew Brown, 23, resigned on April 17, 2026, facing sustained findings for neglect of duty and inefficiency after an internal affairs investigation. Surveillance video from the Treasure Coast Church of God Worship Center showed Brown pulling behind a dark blue Porsche at 1:47 a.m., shining his lights on the car, running a license plate check, and walking up to the passenger side. After looking through the window, Brown turned around and drove off without calling dispatch or checking on the person inside.
At 2:02 a.m., a second officer stopped to check on the suspicious car and found a man dead inside from a gunshot wound, with a handgun sitting on his lap. Paramedics confirmed he was dead, and investigators ruled the death a suicide. As he was sent back to the scene as backup, Brown told the responding officer he had driven by earlier but did not see anyone in the car.
Body camera footage captured Brown telling the officer to go blue, muting both of their cameras for 32 seconds. When a supervisor later pointed out fresh tire tracks in the muddy grass right next to the Porsche, Brown stayed silent, failing to admit they were from his patrol SUV.
Port St. Lucie Police Chief Leo Niemczyk said he was very frustrated and seeking understanding because he cannot fathom how a police officer would respond to a situation the way Brown did. Brown submitted his resignation on April 2 while under investigation, which Niemczyk accepted. Internal Affairs formally sustained the violations on June 24, marking his file as resigned under investigation. Two other responding officers were cleared of any wrongdoing.