Overview
- Keith Lott collapsed at his Swedesboro home on May 16 and was declared brain dead at Cooper University Hospital on May 19, after which NJ Sharing Network representatives arrived to discuss organ recovery.
- The family produced a 2025 driver’s license showing Lott had removed donor status after converting to Islam, and they say procurement staff nonetheless asserted rights to his organs and resisted releasing the body.
- Hospital staff delayed withdrawal of life support while the dispute continued, and the NJ Sharing Network released the body only after Lott’s niece involved state Sen. Paul Moriarty’s office and made legal objections.
- Both the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission and the NJ Sharing Network say the MVC record updates in real time and that OPOs have electronic access to the latest donor information, but it remains unclear why the 2025 change was not recognized.
- The incident has led Moriarty to introduce a bill forcing procurement organizations to use current MVC records and has drawn scrutiny from the House Ways and Means Committee following whistleblower allegations about NJ Sharing Network practices.