Carteret Mayor Goes After Those Claiming He Is A Sex Predator

CARTERET, NJ — The mayor of Carteret, who is running to keep his seat in the upcoming Nov. 6 election, took the extremely unusual step this week of requesting temporary restraining orders against several people accusing him online of being a sexual predator.

Carteret Mayor Dan Reiman, who is running for his fifth term as Carteret's mayor, confirmed to Patch that he has requested restraining orders against several people, two of whom are his political rivals and the other is a former friend who he says has turned on him.

That friend is former Carteret resident Mohammed Radwan, who claims Reiman sexually harassed him for years. Last week, Radwan wrote a five-page letter, and signed it, detailing his allegations against Reiman. That letter was shared by many on Facebook, including by Fred Gattuso, the Republican hoping to unseat Reiman, a Democrat. That letter was also sent to the media, including Patch, and copies of it were strewn about Carteret and placed under cars' windshield wipers.

Radwan, 35, now lives in Howell, but he grew up in Carteret. He said the alleged sexual harassment by Reiman started when they were teenagers.

"From the 10th or 11th grade, I was groomed, sexually harassed (propositioned) over and over again by Reiman on and off for almost 20 years," wrote Radwan. Radwan, a Marine, also alleged that Reiman later contacted him via AOL instant messenger when he got back from serving in Iraq. He said Reiman requested sexual favors in AOL texts and later requested similar favors from Radwan's fiance, in exchange for jobs with the city of Carteret.

In his letter, Radwan said he reported this to the Middlesex County prosecutor's office, but was told by detectives that they had passed the statute of limitations and needed more victims to come forward.

In 2007, Radwan accepted an appointment from Reiman on the Carteret Zoning Board.

Reiman filed court papers in Middlesex County Superior Court Tuesday. He is seeking temporary restraining orders against Radwan, Gattuso, who shared Radwan's letter, Anthony Gallo, head of the Republican Party in Carteret, and Kirandeep Siddhu, a Carteret resident who has posted about the mayor on Facebook. He is asking all of them to stop posting what he says are defamatory comments.

Reiman also said this is the beginning of what will be a defamation lawsuit he plans to file again Radwan.

"It is really incredible the libelous, slanderous things that will come out of peoples' mouths three weeks before an election," Reiman told Patch. "People think that because of Trump you can say anything you want today and it will just stick."

He said Radwan also used to be a friend, who now turned on him.

"Radwan and I were friends growing up and he asked me to serve as his son's godfather, which I declined," said Reiman. "When he came back from the Marine Corps and serving in Iraq, I very unfortunately had to take him off the list to be a Carteret police officer or firefighter because of his background."

Reiman said Radwan has been arrested before and convicted of federal crimes. Reiman also said his own lawyer has a copy of an affidavit from Radwan's own wife saying he is making this all up.

"I didn't feel he was fit to be a police officer or firefighter and we stopped being friends after that," Reiman said. "Now he's aligned with the Republican party and my enemies. I will be fighting what he is saying about me to the fullest extent of the law and this is far from over yet."

The election is Nov. 6. The Carteret mayor job has a salary of $116,355, one of the highest paid in the state.

Photo of Dan Reiman used with his permission.