Nearly three years after being locked up, forgotten and left overnight in a New Jersey police van in freezing temperatures, one of the victims is speaking out, saying he still suffers from post-traumatic stress, including fear of cramped spaces and a distrust of police officers. Really, can you blame him?
Fort Lee man haunted by 15 hours he spent locked in police van
20-year-old Kevin Jun was one of five teens (he was 17 at the time) who were rounded up at a party in March 2011 by Fort Lee police officers, taken to the station, then forgotten and left locked outside in a police van for fifteen hours. They were stuck there with no food or water, no bathroom and no way to call out. As temperatures dipped into the 20s, Jun says he was only wearing a t-shirt.
The Fort Lee Police Chief is blaming the incident on "human error." I believe that's law enforcement speak for "somebody f*%ked up." And so Jun, Adam Kim and Liam Eisenberg will each receive $120,000 under a settlement reached last week with the Fort Lee Police Department. Now a college sophomore, Jun says he plans to use the settlement award to pay for his education.
I've seen several comments from folks who claim they'd be willing to spend the night in a van for $120,000. Sure you would. But you're acting like you'd actually have the choice. Kevin Jun and his friends didn't.