Orangeburg Man: My Son Was Sexually Assaulted as Part of Piermont Firefighter Hazing

An Orangeburg father is saying his teen son was sexually assaulted at the Piermont firehouse last summer as part of a hazing and initiation act, and has filed a federal lawsuit pertaining to the incident.

The lawsuit alleges that the Orangeburg boy—who is 17-years-old now and was 16 at the time of the incident—was restrained against his will in the firehouse and forced to touch other members' genitals on August 14, 2010 at around 9 p.m.

Court documents note the teen—whose name is withheld for privacy reasons—was "battered, physically restrained, pushed, shoved and pummeled." Documents also note the actions "resulted in making the plaintiff physically and psychologically ill," and he consequently sought treatment for his mental health.

Piermont Fire Engineer Michael Bettman and two other volunteers—Dan Goswick, Jr. and Sam Kropp—are named as defendants. The three for the behavior last fall.

The Village of Piermont is also named as a defendant. "The Village of Piermont violated the infant plaintiff's rights... in that they fostered a Government custom in facilitating such outrageous conduct," documents read.

The family's attorney alleges this behavior—including sodomy—is a matter of course at the firehouse and has happened "on occasions too numerous to mention."

Village officials have yet to comment.