Cops settle lawsuit with teens left overnight in police van

Three teens will each receive $120,000 under a settlement reached with Fort Lee Police Department



Remember those guys in New Jersey who got locked up in a police van, forgotten and left overnight in the freezing cold? Three of those teens filed a lawsuit against the Fort Lee Police Department and over a dozen officers, and will receive $120,000 each under a settlement reached with the department.

3 boys locked in Fort Lee police van overnight will split $360,000

Adam Kim, Liam Eisenberg and Kevin Jun were among over dozen teens who were rounded up and placed in a police van when cops broke up a house party in March 2011. According to their complaint, five remained in the van while officers took the others into the station... and never came back. The five teens, who were mostly Asian, were left behind were locked in overnight. They also allege that the cops called them racial epithets.

Somebody f*%ked up. So it wasn't a big surprise when these guys sued, alleging that the officers intentionally inflicted emotional distress, were negligent and showed racial bias.

The plaintiffs were among a group of about 13 minors who were transported to police headquarters that night. Five, the majority of whom were Asians, remained in a van while the others went inside, according to the complaints. The five teens who were left behind were locked overnight and could not call for help because their cellphones had been confiscated, the complaints said.

At one point, two officers returned and drove the van — with the teens inside — to respond to a call, Jun stated in his complaint. When he cried out, an officer yelled “shut up,” the suit said. The officers eventually returned to headquarters and again left the teens in the van, the complaint said.

For about 15 hours, they were left without food, water, restroom facilities or adequate warm clothing until a man walking past the following afternoon noticed the teens and notified police, according to the complaints.

Dude, negligent parents get locked up for leaving children in cars. Shouldn't somebody be facing criminal charges? Alas, the settlement means the department and the officers admit no guilt or liability in the matter. But at least these guys, who are apparently still suffering from post-traumatic stress from the incident, are making the Fort Lee Police Department answer in some way for their ordeal.