State of New Jersey, Plaintiff-Appellant v. Kevin Gamble, Defendant-Respondent

Summary

The Court held that police lawfully stopped the van and conducted a limited protective sweep of its passenger compartment based on the totality of circumstances, including two late-night emergency calls, the high-crime location, the occupants' furtive movements, and the driver's hesitation to exit. The circumstances created reasonable suspicion that the occupants were armed and that a weapon could be accessible in the van, even though the occupants' patdowns revealed no weapon. The Court therefore reversed the Appellate Division's judgment.