Carteret, NJ – The father of a 16-year-old boy who claims he was “savagely” beaten by a Carteret police officer posted shocking photos of the teen’s injuries to Facebook — prompting an investigation by prosecutors into the officer’s conduct.
“I never been so heart broken in my life looking at my son face… this is how Carteret Police are treating ou[r] kids.. they beat my son… badly,” Monte Stewart said in his post.
Pictures of Stewart’s battered son, who is also named Monte, show him laying in a hospital bed with severely swollen eyes, bloody lips and his neck in a brace. The post has been shared over 3,000 times.
Stewart told NJ.com his son was punched, kicked and bloodied by police officer Joseph Reiman after a May 31 car crash.
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, reports NJ.com.
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.
Officer Reiman has been placed on restricted duty as of Wednesday morning.
