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Chief Frank Nucera, Jr., of the Bordertown Township police was charged with federal crimes accusing him of beating a handcuffed black teenager in 2016.   On Sept. 1, 2016, police arrived at the Bordentown Ramada Hotel and arrested two teens for not paying hotel fees. The teens struggled with two cops in a hallway and were placed in handcuffs. The 18 year old boy, Timothy Stroye, filed a complaint agaisnt Nucera stating that when he was being walked out to a police car, Nucera slammed his head into a metal doorway and hit him on the back of his neck. A few hours after the arrest, one of the officers present during the arrest recorded Nucera making racist comments about the teens, and black people in general. This was not Nucera's first incident with racism and after this case, the FBI decided to get involved and investigated him. Nucera at the age of 61 retired in February 2017, after learning he was under investigation.

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Timothy Stroye

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Former Bordentown Township Police Chief Frank Nucera Jr., then a lieutenant, in a 2004 file photo
by Paige Gross | for NJ.com
Former Bordentown Township police chief Frank Nucera, Jr., who's charged with federal crimes accusing him of beating a handcuffed black teenager in 2016, was previously investigated by the FBI a decade ago, recently filed court documents in his case show.

It's been more than a year since the former chief stepped down from his position, and about 10 months since he was arrested and charged with racially motivated excessive force during a September 2016 arrest.

The former chief's stunning arrest also revealed that Nucera allegedly used the n-word freely to describe African Americans.

Pretrial motion documents filed recently by Nucera's attorney further detail how his then fellow officers recorded the racist rants that are now central to the FBI investigation into Nucera.
The case
Nucera, 61, abruptly retired in February 2017, after learning he was under investigation.

According to the criminal complaint, on Sept. 1, 2016, police arrived at the then Bordentown Ramada Hotel and arrested two teens for allegedly not paying hotel fees. The teens, an 18-year-old boy and a 16-year-old girl, from Trenton, got into a physical struggle with two cops in a hallway and were placed in handcuffs.

The criminal complaint says that while the 18-year-old, Timothy Stroye, was being walked out to a police car, Nucera slammed his head into a metal doorway and hit him on the back of his neck.

Hours after the arrest, one of the officers present during the arrest recorded Nucera making racist comments about the teens, and black people in general, the complaint says.

In a U.S. Attorney's Office statement following the arrest, authorities allege Nucera said on recording that "These f-----g people should "stay the f--k out of Bordentown."

He also allegedly said, "It would have been nice" if officers could have used a police dog during the arrest.

Nucera was charged with hate crime assault, deprivation of civil rights under the color of law and making false statements, on Nov. 1, 2017. He was indicted the following month, and remains free on bond as the trial date approaches.

The former Bordentown Ramada hotel, where the 2016 arrest of Timothy Stroye occurred, is now a Town Inn (Michael Mancuso | NJ Advance Media)
Another FBI investigation?
Pretrial documents filed by Nucera's attorney, Rocco C. Cipparone, show that Nucera was investigated by the FBI investigation a decade ago.

Documents show FBI Special Agent Arthur E. Durrant III initiated the federal investigation into Nucera in 2007-2008. Durrant is also involved in the current case against Nucera.

The pretrial documents do not outline the nature of the investigation and no charges were brought against Nucera from it. Cipparone declined to elaborate on it.

Cipparone raises it in his arguments that the FBI's investigation of his client is "fatally flawed" because of "incestuous relationships among accusers."

The documents claim there was a concerted effort to "get" Nucera out of his position by police officers who did not like the way he managed the police department.

Cipparone notes that FBI Special Agent Jacob Archer, who is involved in the current investigation into Nucera, was once a Bordentown City police officer.

And in 2007, Archer ran against the incumbent Nucera for a seat on a local board of fire commissioners, and beat him. Archer is also a close friend of current Bordentown Township Sgt. Nathan Roohr, one of the officers who secretly recorded Nucera, the filing says.

"I'm not saying he didn't say racially insensitive things, but that's not a crime," Cipparone told NJ Advance Media. "But I think Rhoor and some of these other cops saw this as an opportunity to get (Nucera) out."

The motions document - which runs over 200 pages - outlines that federal investigators working on Nucera's current case also had previous contact with Stroye, the victim.

The FBI interviewed Stroye in October 2016 during an investigation into the 2015 police shooting of Trenton teenager Radazz Hearns. Stroye was one of the people present the night police shot Hearns, the documents says.

Ciparone's motion also requests the court first rule on whether Nucera actually touched Stroye in the 2016 incident, then determine if it was racially motivated.

Bordentown Township police vehicles behind the municipal building. (Michael Mancuso | NJ Advance Media)
Racist recordings
The pretrial motions also detail how fellow officers recorded Nucera making racially hostile comments beginning as early as 2014.

Roohr, the officer that recorded the comments Nucera made after the arrest of Stroye, began recording Nucera as early as 2015, documents show. He did so at the advisement of Officer James Chiariello, who began recording Nucera in 2015.

Another officer, Erich Hess, also recorded interactions with Nucera as early as 2014.

In one recording, following the arrest of a black man for slashing tires on a police vehicle, Nucera was allegedly recorded saying:

"I wish that (n-word) would come back from Trenton and give me a reason to put my hands on him, I'm tired of 'em. These (n-word) are like ISIS, they have no value. They should line them all up and mow 'em down. I'd like to be on the firing squad, I could do it."

The documents say that FBI special agents were aware that members of the Bordentown Township police were recording Nucera before opening an official investigation into his actions.

Cipparone's pretrial motion asks the court to throw the recordings out, questioning if they've been correctly preserved and saying the government can't "authenticate these recordings."

The Bordentown Township Municipal Police building. (Michael Mancuso | NJ Advance Media)
Nucera's tenure
When Nucera retired in February 2017, he had been working for the department for 34 years and was making an annual salary of $151,418.31. He was named chief in 2007. He currently draws an annual pension of $105,992.76 - $8,832.73 per month - public records show.

He was also the Bordentown Township administrator for a period, while serving as police chief.

Other allegations that have surfaced since his arrest are that Nucera previously ordered officers to bring police dogs to certain high school basketball games and to position vehicles near the gymnasium entrance to intimidate black fans, the complaint said.

In May 2014, Nucera was shot in the leg with his own firearm while in the township tax collector's office. The shooting was later ruled an accident.

Then Acting U.S. Attorney William E. Fitzpatrick at a press conference in November 2017 announcing the arrest of Frank Nucera Jr. (Paige Gross | NJ Advance Media)
Moving forward
Cipparone says he believes his client is still quite a bit away from the start of his trial, as federal prosecutors still have to respond to his motions and continue their investigation. The latest date for motions and replies is Oct. 1.

He doesn't expect the court to just roll over, and grant them all.

But, he said, "I think the case warrants further objective looking at from the federal government," he said.

Nucera remains free on a $500,000 bond. He cannot leave New Jersey
RELATED COVERAGE: Police chief accused of racially-motivated beating of handcuffed black teen Ex-police chief charged in black teen's beating 'dishonored the badge,' fed says Cop secretly recorded 100 hours of ex-chief charged with racist assault This officer secretly recorded his chief spewing racist remarks
Paige Gross may be reached at pgross@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @By_paigegross.

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Former police chief charged with hate crime was previously investigated by FBI

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Former Bordentown Township Police Chief Frank Nucera Jr., then a lieutenant, in a 2004 file photo by Paige Gross | for NJ.com Former Bordentown Township police chief Frank Nucera, Jr., who's charged with federal crimes accusing him of beating a handcuffed black teenager in 2016, was previously investigated by the FBI a decade ago, recently filed court documents in his case show.

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A jury in the trial of a former New Jersey police chief accused of assaulting a handcuffed black teen because of "intense racial animus" has deadlocked on federal hate crime assault and civil rights deprivations charges. The same jury convicted former Bordentown Township Police Chief Frank Nucera Jr. of lying to the FBI about the case on Wednesday.

Federal prosecutors said Nucera, 62, was motivated by racial hatred when he allegedly slammed the teen's head into a door jam during a 2016 arrest at a Bordentown hotel. Nucera, who had pleaded not guilty, retired in 2017 amid an FBI investigation. The jury, which has nine white people and three black people, deliberated for more than 45 hours over the course of eight days.

Nucera had also previously served as township administrator in Bordentown, a predominantly white town located a few miles away from New Jersey's capital city of Trenton, which is majority African-American.

Prosecutors alleged Nucera had a "significant history" of making racist and violent comments, and officers in his own department were so disturbed they began secretly recording the former chief. One of them, key prosecution witness Sgt. Nathan Roohr, made 81 such recordings over the course of a year. Roohr was also one of two officers who testified they saw Nucera assault 18-year-old Timothy Stroye, which Nucera has denied.

Criminal justice experts and civil rights advocates say it's "exceedingly rare" for a law enforcement officer to be charged with a federal hate crime. Bowling Green State University criminal justice professor Philip Stinson, who closely tracks cases of officers charged with misconduct, could not find another case of an officer charged under the same federal hate crime statute in a database he maintains of cases between 2005 and 2014.

"It's unusual, and it's troubling," Stinson said.

Nucera was among several officers who responded to the Bordentown hotel, where Stroye had been accused of swimming in the hotel's pool without paying for a room. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, Roohr said Stroye was handcuffed and not resisting arrest when Nucera grabbed the teen's head "like a basketball" and shoved it into the door jam, making a "loud thud."

According to Roohr, who would later tip off the FBI, Nucera used racial slurs hours after the incident at the hotel while referring to the teen, his girlfriend and their family members. When Nucera learned the teens were from Trenton, he allegedly said, "Stay the f--- out of Bordentown."

"I'm f--- tired of them, man," Nucera said in the recording, according to prosecution court filings. "I'll tell you what, it's getting to the point where I could shoot one of these m-----f------. And that n----- b------ lady, she almost got it."

About three months later, while attempting to defend his use of force, prosecutors say Nucera was recorded saying officers were called to the hotel "cause of six unruly f----- n------."

Nucera later denied assaulting the teen in a recorded conversation with the FBI.

The officer also recorded Nucera in November 2015 making racist comments while speaking about an African-American man he suspected of slashing the tires of a police vehicle, prosecutors say. Nucera allegedly said: "These n---- are like ISIS, they have no value. They should line them all up and mow 'em down. I'd like to be on the firing squad, I could do it. I used to think about if I could shoot someone or not, I could do it, I'm tired of it."

Prosecutors also presented a transcript of one of the recordings in which Nucera, during the run-up to the 2016 presidential election, called Donald Trump "the last hope for white people," the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

Nucera jury says it is deadlocked on remaining two counts, judge says. Judge will ask if any chance of a unanimous verdict. pic.twitter.com/ceDjt7isbA
- Melanie Burney (@MLBURNEY) October 11, 2019

Rocco Cipparone, a lawyer for Nucera, told CBS News the former chief admits making the comments and is remorseful. But, he says the government doesn't have evidence to prove their allegations, which Nucera denies. Cipparone said there are no video recordings of the incident, and he pointed to what he called "material differences" in the prosecution's version of events.

"Mr. Nucera said some pretty socially unacceptable and inappropriate comments of a racial nature, but as the judge told every juror we interviewed and selected, it's not a crime even for police officers to use those terms," Cipparone told CBS News before the trial launched. "So unless the government proves Frank Nucera struck [Stroye] and struck him because of his race, he's not guilty."

Nucera faces up to five years in prison on the charge of lying to the FBI. He had faced up to 20 years on the hate crime and civil rights charges.

Nucera also stands to lose his $8,800 monthly police pension, which had been frozen pending the trial's outcome, reports the Philadelphia Inquirer's Melanie Burney. A state treasury spokesman told Burney the pension board will meet after the verdict to "decide whether to forfeit any of his pension service credit of salary."

A judge scheduled Nucera's sentencing for Feb. 6.

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Mistrial for ex-police chief charged with hate crime assault on handcuffed black teen

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A jury in the trial of a former New Jersey police chief accused of assaulting a handcuffed black teen because of "intense racial animus" has deadlocked on federal hate crime assault and civil rights deprivations charges. The same jury convicted former Bordentown Township Police Chief Frank Nucera Jr.

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Authorities produced 81 different recordings secretly made by Bordentown Sgt. Nathan Roohr, in which Nucera can be heard disparaging African Americans, comparing them to ISIS and making statements like, "They have no value. They should line them all up and mow 'em down. I'd like to be on the firing squad, I could do it." He also said insulting things about other minorities and gays.

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Ex-Bordentown police chief's mistrial shows that we still have a lot of work to do when it comes to race | Jenice Armstrong

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We have a lot to do when a jury can convict ex-Bordentown Township Police Chief Frank Nucera Jr. of lying to the FBI but not reach a unanimous verdict on the charges of committing a hate crime and violating a black teenager's civil rights.

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Other Police Hate Crime Victims from different cases

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Other Police Hate Crime Victims from different cases

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Christopher Whitfield, 31
Anthony Hill, 26
De’Von Bailey, 19
Eric Logan, 54
Jamarion Robinson, 26
Gregory Hill Jr., 30
JaQuavion Slaton, 20
Ryan Twyman, 24
Brandon Webber, 20
Jimmy Atchison, 21

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https://www.nj.com/burlington/2018/09/former_bordentown_police_chief_at_center_of_hate_c_1.html

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https://www.cbsnews.com/news/frank-nucera-trial-mistrial-for-ex-police-chief-charged-with-hate-crime-assault-on-handcuffed-black-teen/

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https://www.inquirer.com/columnists/bordentown-township-frank-nucera-police-jenice-armstrong-20191011.html

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There wasn’t all that much public reply to this exact case, other than news articles, and videos made on YouTube, but there have been other cases that have caused protest and riots.  Police brutality in new York caused 1000 + people to walk through the streets of Brooklyn chanting “ No justice, no peace!” These people said that the subway system was over policed,   Due to a video that surfaced of police officers fighting teenagers in the city subway stations.  People  also responded to this with vandalism, and graffiti, they would spray paint slogans, and profanities on police and MTA vehicles.

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NEW YORK (WABC) -- About 1,000 people protesting what they say is New York police brutality marched through downtown Brooklyn, chanting "no justice, no peace!"

The peaceful protesters filled main avenues Friday evening as they passed the Barclays Center arena where the Brooklyn Nets play. The march came several days after a video emerged on social media showing police officers fighting with teenagers inside city subway stations.

Marchers say they oppose what they consider over-policing of the subway system.

Billed as a rally of emergency action against the NYPD and the MTA, a large group of young protesters made their way through Downtown Brooklyn for several hours.

"Police brutality against the criminalization of black youth in the subway system by police," they said.

One of the most recent incidents they point to is the fight that broke out last week at the Jay Street-Metrotech station. As police moved in to break it up, one of the officers can be seen punching 15-year-old Benjamin Marshall in the face.

"Me coming here, seeing them treat my brothers and sisters like that, that's making it my issue," said one protester.

Other students moved down into a subway station at Hoyt Street and confronted officers face to face. Others had clearly turned to vandalism, spray painting slogans and profanties on police and MTA vehicles, denounced by both the MTA and police.

Every time they were confronted by officers, they quickly turned and kept moving in another direction.

Earlier this week, Benjamin Marshall and his family announced a $5 million notice of claim against the city.

"He went down the Jay Street station to retrieve his bag and while he was there he was punched multiple times by one of New York's Finest," said Marshall's father Anthony Noel.

Police have placed the officer, assigned to the 84th Precinct, on non-enforcement duty as the investigation continues.
(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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Marchers protest alleged police brutality in Brooklyn subway melee

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NEW YORK (WABC) -- About 1,000 people protesting what they say is New York police brutality marched through downtown Brooklyn, chanting "no justice, no peace!" The peaceful protesters filled main avenues Friday evening as they passed the Barclays Center arena where the Brooklyn Nets play.

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https://www.google.com/amp/s/abc7ny.com/amp/marchers-protest-against-nypd-mta-after-subway-melee/5665470/

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Documents show that Nucera was invested by the FBI a decade ago. Nucera got up to five years in prison.  He also faces up to 20 years on the hate crime and civil rights charges.
Nucera also stands to lose his $8,800 monthly police pension, which had been frozen pending the trial's outcome.

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Very good, we like the layout and background

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we would have liked more recent cases and the location of them.

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very interesting

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this was a good padlet.

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Were all of the police hate crimes committed for the same reason or because of different reasons (race, ethnicity, religion, etc)?

good organization of information and a nice layout