Carteret Police Officers Accused Of Beating Teen

CARTERET, NJ — The family of a 16-year-old African American teen say the boy was beaten and kicked last Wednesday by Carteret police officers, one of whom is the brother of the town mayor.

The incident happened last Wednesday night, May 31. The boy said he was driving in a black sedan with Officer Joseph Reiman behind him. (You must be 17 to drive alone in New Jersey.) When the patrol car turned on its lights and siren, the teen said he panicked, hit the gas instead of the brake and crashed the car into the curb, the teen told NJ.com, which first reported the story. He said the two air bags deployed but they did not injure him.

The teen said he got out of the car and that's when Reiman punched him about a dozen times. He was on the ground being handcuffed by Reiman when the teen said a second officer kicked him. His family says he is a victim of police brutality and posted these photos of the teen to Facebook:

An EMS report from that night says the teen told EMTs that he fought with the officer, reported NJ.com. The teen also said he ran from police, the EMS report said.

But the teen and neighbors who witnessed the incident dispute that account.

Reiman has been placed on restrictive duty and the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office is investigating the family's allegations. Reiman is the brother of Carteret Mayor Dan Reiman, who released the following statement on Facebook:

"Any Allegation of misconduct by borough law enforcement officers is investigated by the Carteret Police Department’s internal affairs division, under the direction of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office. Upon the results of an investigation an ultimate determination as to what, if any, action should be taken is made. The specific facts of individual investigations are not shared with the Mayor or Borough Council unless it is determined that referral for administrative disciplinary action is necessary.

Pursuant to the mandatory guidelines established by the NJ Attorney General’s Office, when a member of the public brings an allegation to the attention of the Borough’s Administration, the allegation is immediately directed to the Carteret Police Department Internal Affairs Division and the Middlesex County Prosecutors Office for the initiation of the Police Internal Affairs Investigation process.

The Borough expects all of its employees and especially its law enforcement personnel to exhibit the highest level of professionalism in the discharge of their duties. Failure to live up to that expectation will result in appropriate corrective action.

As has been my past practice on all police matters, I would urge the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office to immediately release any and all police reports, statements and audio / video recordings including any or all onboard cameras for this single car collision or any other matter as soon as possible. I believe the timely release of information is important to ensure the continued public trust of Law Enforcement in New Jersey.

Under our system of law all criminal defendants are innocent until proven guilty, regardless of their past criminal activities or convictions; yet in society today the police are made scapegoats and presumed guilty before and independent investigation is started or completed.

Unfortunately, social communication platforms have taken the role at times of being perceived as a legitimate news source, but the public must always understand that comments and innuendos on the web are not facts and the borough awaits the results of this review by the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office to ensure that the rights of all, both the public and the police are protected."

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