State of New Jersey, and v. Robert L. Evans, Defendant-Respondent and

Summary

The New Jersey Supreme Court held that the officer’s “plain feel” observation of a rock‑like bulge during a lawful pat‑down satisfied the “immediately apparent” requirement of the plain‑feel doctrine, thereby meeting both prongs of N.J.S.A. 2A:161A‑1(b) and justifying the subsequent strip search. The Court reversed the Appellate Division’s suppression ruling and reinstated Evans’s convictions. It also adopted the plain‑feel exception as a recognized exception to the warrant requirement in New Jersey. The decision was issued without any dissenting or concurring opinions.