New Video Sheds Light On Fair Lawn Incident With Ex-Cop

Editor's note: The video attached to this story contains profane language.

FAIR LAWN, NJ — Two more videos shed light on what may have caused a former Passaic County Sheriff's Officer to yell at a boy at the Fair Lawn Promenade retail and residential complex earlier this month.

Detective Cpl. John Welsh, president of the Policemen's Benevolent Association Local 197, one of two unions representing Passaic County Sheriff's officers, said the videos are an example of "not judging a book by its cover."

"I can't control the actions of a retired union member, but certain people react different in certain situations," said Welsh. "I'm not saying it was the correct way to handle it, but the disrespect this kid gave an older female woman was very uncalled for and unacceptable."

The videos appear to be filmed by someone who was hanging out with the boys. They, along with the original video, were posted on Instagram Aug. 7 by someone with the username "unitedsfinest."

One video shows the boys riding their bikes down the Promenade street. The boy featured in the original video crashes his bike and falls to the ground.

In another video, a blonde woman in a blue dress with a dog yells at the boy to "get out of here." Another boy yells, "Don't talk to him like that." The first boy responds by saying, "Don't talk to me like that, who the f--- do you think you are?" and mocks the woman for being white.

The woman then tells the boy, "I've got my cop boyfriend upstairs. He's coming."

Activist Zellie Thomas shared the original video on Facebook Aug. 7 where it has been viewed nearly 40,000 times.

In that video, a retired Passaic County Sheriff's captain walks up to the boy, flashes a badge in his face, and tells the boy, "Don't be a punk."

"I'm a captain with the Passaic County Sheriff's Department," the man yells as he walks up and gets within inches of the boy, who is black. "Be respectful. I grew up in Paterson, be respectful. [It] doesn't matter what color you are."

The woman in the blue dress appears at the end of the video and appears to try and pull her ex-cop boyfriend away from the boy.

Passaic County Sheriff's Office spokesman Bill Maer confirmed Wednesday that the man in the video is a former "long-retired" officer with the sheriff's office.

A Fair Lawn Police officer who responded to the scene tells the boy to "get out of here" and the video ends.

Fair Lawn Police Sgt. Brian Metzler said the Fair Lawn Police Department is reviewing the incident internally.

Related: Angry NJ Ex-Sheriff's Officer Confronts Teen In Viral Video

Email: daniel.hubbard@patch.com

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