Crime & Safety

Man Said Cops Stripped-Searched Him, Exposed His Private Parts In Garden State Plaza: Lawsuit

Honeymooning-man was stopped after Apple store employees falsely told mall security the man was trying to steal something, the suit claims.

PARAMUS, N.J. — A man on his honeymoon claims local police exposed his genitals in public during a strip-search at the Westfield Garden State Plaza mall, according to a lawsuit filed in Bergen County Superior Court last week.

The man, identified only as "O.E." in the suit, who speaks limited English with a heavy accent, was stopped by security guards at about 7 p.m. in November 2015 after Apple store employees "falsely informed" mall security guards, who informed Paramus police, that the man was trying to steal something from the store, according to a report by NJ.com.

Paramus police responded and, after searching another bag he had with him, the officers demanded that the man remove his pants, after which time one of the officers put his hands into the man's underwear, pulling it outward and exposing his penis, according to the report.

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The man was arrested when, after police told him to leave the mall, he went back inside to find his wife, according to the report. He was charged with trespassing, according to the report.


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