Crime & Safety

3rd Piscataway Police Officer Files Lawsuit Against Chief Of Police

For the third time this year, Piscataway Police Chief Thomas Mosier has been sued by an officer in that police department.

PISCATAWAY, NJ — For the third time this year, Piscataway Police Chief Thomas Mosier has been sued by an officer in that police department.

This latest lawsuit was filed April 27 by Michael Paiano, who has worked as a Piscataway police officer since 2005.

In his lawsuit, Paiano, 50, alleges that he was passed over by Mosier for a promotion because of his age, even though he says he scored higher than others on a police promotions test, and then saw others who scored beneath him promoted.

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"(Paiano) was passed over for promotion to the rank of sergeant by Chief Mosier," read his lawsuit, which is publicly available here. "Plaintiff scored and ranked seventh out of 10 applicants on the 12/27/2018 promotional test result for sergeants. From this promotional list, the six applicants who scored and ranked above plaintiff were promoted to sergeants."

Paiano's lawsuit specifically said a female officer who scored lower than he did was promoted to sergeant before him, which he said shows bias on the part of Mosier.

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Of the two other lawsuits filed against Mosier this year, one of them makes a similar allegation: That Mosier has a preference for female heterosexual police officers.

Piscataway Police Lt. Constance "Connie" Crea makes that claim in her lawsuit against Mosier, filed in March. She says Mosier singled her out for demotions and discrimination because she is a lesbian. She also says Mosier often mocked lesbian police officers on the force.

Crea said Mosier showed a preference for heterosexual female police officers and 911 dispatchers, particularly if they were attractive.

And the first lawsuit was filed in January by Piscataway police officer Alan Barboiu, who said Mosier discriminated against him because he is an immigrant from Romania.

In the two lawsuits, filed separate and apart from each other, both Crea and Barboiu said Chief Mosier was notorious for one particular act:

"Grabbing his genitals and rubbing them while making sexual moaning sounds in self-gratification," which Barboui said the police chief did to tease and mock him, and which Crea said Mosier did when certain women walked past his office.

A Piscataway Township spokesman said the town has not yet seen this latest lawsuit.

First lawsuit filed by Barboiu in January 2022: Piscataway Police Chief Sued By Officer, Alleging Discrimination

Second lawsuit filed by Lt. Crea in March 2022: Piscataway Police Chief Named In 2nd Harassment Lawsuit

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