New Jersey police officer charged with assault after allegedly punching teen

Carteret, NJ – A Carteret police officer is now under arrest, accused of assault and causing injury to a teenager, reports ABC 7.

The incident happened after a police chase last week, in which Carteret Officer Joseph Reiman was pursuing a teenage driver.

Prosecutors say 16-year-old Monte Stewart crashed into a power pole and that when he exited the vehicle, Reiman punched him several times.

Reiman’s arrest comes days after Monte Stewart father, also named Monte, took to social media to express his anger and outrage over what happened to his son.

NJ.com reported the teen said he was surprised when Reiman turned on his emergency lights in an attempt to pull him over and that he lost control of his car and crashed.

Police claim the teen tried to run away after the crash but the teen said he got out of the car and stood still with his hands up, surrendering to police.

He said Reiman then grabbed his left arm and punched him in the right eye, knelt on top of him and punched him more than a dozen times, leaving his face swollen and bloodied, NJ.com reports.

The teen said a second officer kicked him in the face while Reiman was handcuffing him, all the while screaming “Please help!” and “Stop hitting me!”

A witness at the scene corroborated the teen’s story and said the punching was “excessive.” “I thought he was going to beat him to death,” Richard Watkins told NJ.com.

Following the assault, an ambulance was not called to the scene. Instead, Stewart was placed in a patrol car.

The officer apparently failed to activated his body-worn camera, but the patrol car video captured much of the attack, reports ABC 7.

Reiman, 31, is charged with aggravated assault and three counts of official misconduct for allegedly assaulting the teen, failing to activate his body-worn camera, and failing to use reasonable discretion or restraint in the amount of force used.

Carteret Police Deputy Chief Dennis McFadden said Reiman has turned in his gun and badge and was suspended without pay.

The investigation is ongoing, and anyone with information is asked to call Detective Zebib of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office at (732) 745-4274, or Captain Dammann of the Carteret Police Department at (732) 541-3898.