Ex-Sheriff's Officer Meets Teen He Yelled At In Viral Video

FAIR LAWN, NJ — The people who appeared in a video showing an argument between a boy an an ex-cop that went viral last month met at Borough Hall met to discuss what happened and clear the air.

More than one video was released, but the one that garnered the most attention featured Frank Brady, a retired Passaic County Sheriff's captain, yelling at a boy, Cyrus Silverio, who was riding bikes with his friends at The Promenade on Aug. 5. Police Wednesday released the names of the people appearing the videos. (See related: Angry NJ Ex-Sheriff's Officer Confronts Teen In Viral Video)

Brady, his girlfriend Judith Ruben, who was in two of the videos, police Chief Glen Cauwels, Mayor Kurt Peluso, Silverio, Silverio's father, Robert, and Detective Sgt. Joseph Mecinois met at borough hall Aug. 29. No charges were filed in the case. Mecinonis investigated the incident and found the videos online.

"The initial video made it look like a one-sided incident. If you watch the other videos, there's a whole different side to the story," Cauwels said. "There were mistakes by all parties involved. We wanted to tell the whole story about what happened, without pointing fingers at anybody being the bad guy."

It was Mecinois' idea to get everyone in the same room and discuss what happened.

"He saw after he went through all the videos and spoke with the parties about what happened everyone could have done better," Cauwels said. "That's the beauty of it. There were no hard feelings by anyone."

Peluso agreed.

"Unfortunately, when a video goes viral, it often puts everyone in a negative light. When this happened in Fair Lawn, we wanted to make sure that these actions did not define the individuals," Peluso said. "We created a teachable moment for all and are thrilled that everyone has come together."

The meeting highlighted another aspect of police work that often gets overlooked, Cauwels said.

"Policing nowadays has changed so much," he said. "You're obligated to make the best of a bad situation. We have to work hard to show that we're there for the community."

Email: daniel.hubbard@patch.com

Photo: Fair Lawn Police Chief Glen Cauwels, Mayor Kurt Peluso, Judith Ruben, Frank Brady, Cyrus Silverio, Robert Silverio, and Detective Sgt. Joseph Mecionis (Courtesy of Fair Lawn Police Department)