Ex-NJ Police Chief Pleads Not Guilty To Hate Crime Charges

A former Burlington County police chief has pleaded not guilty to allegations that he beat a black teen during an arrest last year, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Frank M. Nucera Jr., 60, of Bordentown, has been indicted on one count of making false statements, one count of hate crime assault and one count of deprivation of civil rights under color of law.

He made his plea during an arraignment Thursday morning in federal court. His next court appearance is scheduled for April 23, 2018, 9:30 a.m. before Judge Robert B. Kugler in Camden.

The charges relate to an incident from Sept. 1, 2016, in which Nucera was called in for backup by police officers responding to an incident at the Bordentown Ramada. Two teenagers had stayed at the hotel without paying, and were swimming in the hotel pool that afternoon, according to police. The teens were identified by Bordentown Township police as 18-year-old Timothy Stroye, of Trenton, and a 16-year-old female acquaintance.

When the first officers arrived to speak with them, both teens resisted arrest and the situation escalated into a physical altercation in which one cop used pepper spray, according to the indictment. As they were being arrested, Nucera arrived on the scene.

After Stroye was handcuffed and was being escorted from the hotel by police, Nucera came up from behind and slammed his head into a metal doorjamb, authorities allege.

Stroye had stopped for a moment to loudly complain, but wasn't kicking or struggling, according to the indictment. Authorities said the officer who was escorting the suspect at the time didn't file a complaint because he was afraid of Nocera retaliating.

When later questioned about the incident by Special Agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Nucera claimed he hadn't touched the suspects during the arrest or detention.

Stroye was charged with two counts of aggravated assault on police, resisting arrest, improper behavior/disorderly conduct and theft of services. No information was provided concerning the teenage girl involved in the incident.

Nucera served as Bordentown Police Chief and Township Administrator before he abruptly retired earlier this year. The complaint filed earlier this year chronicled past incidents in which Nucera enlisted the use of police dogs to intimidate African Americans, including at high school basketball games. In 2016, he allegedly told an officer to walk a K-9 through an apartment building in order to intimidate the African Americans who lived there.

His sudden resignation earlier this year came after the Attorney General's Office was told by federal authorities that he was under investigation, according to the Courier Post.

He made $151,418.31 per year, and has an annual pension of $105,992.76, according to nj.com. He receives $8,832.73 per month.

Authorities previously said the use of excessive force and hate crime counts with which Nucera is charged each carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

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