BRIDGEWATER, NJ - The Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office has still not released a report or findings regarding the incident at the Bridgewater Commons Mall in February in which a 14-year-old Black teenager was handcuffed following a fight while the other lighter-skinned boy involved in the fight was not.
Reports over the past four months have centered around a 45-day deadline to release information on the findings, but with that deadline long gone, questions have swirled surrounding the status of the investigation.
But the 45-day timeline is not exactly accurate.
According to Bridgewater Township Police Chief Paul Payne, once an incident is reported, the department has 45 days to either take action or submit it for investigation to a third party, in this case, the prosecutor’s office.
“I wanted to have someone independent investigating,” he said. “I wanted to show we are being transparent, but I don’t want anyone to think we are not handling the procedure correctly. Someone who is outside the department is objective, and it doesn’t lead to people saying we’re trying to protect our own.”
Once the investigation was turned over to the prosecutor’s office, Payne said, that office has as much time as needed to determine if there should be a criminal complaint filed, or if it is an administrative matter.
If it is determined to be an administrative matter, Payne said, the complaint would be sent back to his department, which would have 45 days from that decision to hand down any kind of administrative action or discipline. If it is determined to be a criminal matter, there is no deadline for making the case or releasing information.
At this point, Payne said, the investigation is still ongoing, and no information has been released about whether it will be considered an administrative issue or criminal.
“There is no timeline to determine,” he said. “Everything is still in their hands.”
Payne said he does not have any information on the status of the investigation or when a decision might be made. He noted that the officers in question from the incident are still currently on desk duty.
“We are waiting on guidance from the prosecutor’s office,” he said.
Deputy Chief Frank Roman, out of the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office, said Monday that the office is still conducting the investigation into the incident.
“The office expects to wrap up the investigation in the next few weeks,” he said.
On Feb. 12, Z’Kye Husain, a Black teenager, was handcuffed by police officers following a fight with another lighter-skinned teenager, who was not handcuffed. An internal investigation was launched after a video of the fight and subsequent response by police went viral.