Middlesex County Prosecutor Andrew C. Carey said that a borough police officer was indicted today for assaulting and causing significant bodily injury to a teenager during an arrest.
Carteret Police Officer Joseph Reiman, 31, was charged with one count of aggravated assault in the third degree and three counts of official misconduct in the second degree for assaulting the teenager, failing to activate his body-worn camera, and failing to use reasonable discretion or restraint in the amount of force used to apprehend the teenager.
The indictment was handed up following a presentation to the grand jury by Middlesex County Assistant Prosecutor Christine D’Elia.
Reiman was indicted following an investigation by Detective Andreea Zebib of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office, and Capt. Michael Dammann of the Carteret Police Department.
The investigation determined that while on official duty and in a patrol car Officer Reiman was pursuing a teenage driver, who then crashed his car into a utility pole guide wire; the airbags deployed.
After the teenager exited his vehicle, Officer Reiman, while on top of the teen, punched the teen several times with a closed fist. Following the assault, an ambulance was not called to the scene.
Instead, the teenager was placed in a patrol car.
Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Zebib of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office at (732) 745-4274, or Capt. Dammann of the Carteret Police Department at (732) 541-3898.
As is the case with all criminal defendants, the charges against Reiman are merely accusations and he is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
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