A Paterson man of Middle Eastern descent says he was held at gunpoint and kicked by a man claiming to be a Paterson police officer.
The incident was caught on camera and posted to YouTube. News 12 New Jersey has decided not to release the victim's identity. He was not detained by police, nor arrested.
The victim says the incident happened on Sept. 24. He says that a man approached him with a gun and ordered him to get down on the ground. A gun was held to the victim's head and he was kicked. The man then leaves.
About 45 minutes later, that same man can be seen returning to the location with three uniformed police officers. They appear to have a conversation and then leave the area.
That same man can also be seen in cellphone video taken before the other incident. In this video, the man appears to be trying to detain a suspect and says that he is a police officer.
News 12 New Jersey has not been able to confirm whether or not the man is in fact in law enforcement. A badge is not visible in either of the two videos. A spokesperson for the Paterson Police Department was not able to initially identify the man as an officer, but says that the department is looking into it.
Paterson police have issued a statement that says, "The Paterson Police Department conducts complete investigations into all allegations of police misconduct. Not to have such an approach would be a disservice to the residents of Paterson."
The victim says he was not arrested and was free to go after he was roughed up.
"He didn't arrest me. He didn't do anything, he just left me hanging," the victim says. "If I did something to you, why did you leave over here like nothing happened?"
The victim believes he was mistakenly identified as a suspect from an earlier incident in the area. Witnesses say there was a fight earlier in the day and someone was stabbed.