Piscataway Police Chief Sued By Officer, Alleging Discrimination

New Brunswick NJ

15 February, 2022

1:02 PM

Description

PISCATAWAY, NJ — A Piscataway police officer has filed a lawsuit against Police Chief Thomas Mosier, alleging that Mosier discriminated against him because he is an immigrant. The officer who sued is Alan Barboiu and he filed his lawsuit Jan. 6 in Middlesex County Superior Court. On September 30, 2021, Barboiu was suspended by the department with pay, criminally charged and placed under criminal investigation. In his lawsuit, Barboiu does not fully explain why he was suspended, only saying it was "based upon the dubious sexual claims of (a) police dispatcher" and that his attempted firing was initiated by Mosier. However, the Middlesex County Prosecutor downgraded the charges and remanded the matter to Piscataway Township for administrative personnel proceedings, according to the lawsuit. To this day, Barboiu remains on the Piscataway police force. Barboiu is still facing being suspended for 45 days without pay, a punishment he said was "extreme" and is currently trying to have vacated pending an administrative appeal. He said all of this was done because Mosier does not like him because he is an immigrant. A spokesman for Piscataway Township and the police department declined to comment. Barboiu has worked as a Piscataway police officer since he was first hired on March 1, 2010. He was born and raised in Romania, and immigrated to America on October 20, 1996 when he was 19 years old. Barboiu said he met and married a fellow Romanian who was also an American citizen. Shortly after, he obtained his residency status and later citizenship in 2003. "Initially, the Plaintiff encountered multiple challenges and difficulty in America, including homelessness," read his lawsuit. "He arrived without means of support having no relatives or friends to rely on ... But he persevered, joined the U.S. armed forces in February 1999 and proudly served this country for a total of six years." He was honorably discharged at the rank of sergeant in 2005. Mosier has been the acting Piscataway police chief since 2019 and he officially became chief in January 2021. Barboiu said as soon as Mosier became police chief, he immediately removed him from the detective bureau and reassigned him back to patrol, over his objections. Barboiu said his old job was replaced by a "non-immigrant male." Barboiu said he was then told by another officer that "Sgt. Thomas Mosier hates him, and then warned (him) to be careful around Mosier because he is vindictive and malicious. Plaintiff also began hearing rumors that Mosier does not like minorities." On February 15, 2012, while changing in the locker room at the beginning of his shift, Barboiu said he asked then-Lt. Mosier if he could take time off. He said Lt. Mosier replied by mocking him and "repeating his words with an 'accent' as to ridicule him and shouted DENIED!" He said Mosier stated, "I may grant it if I can understand what the f- you're saying." Then in March of 2013, Barboiu said he was told by his supervisor that Mosier "wants you out" and that he is "watching you." "It is also noteworthy that during this time period, with Lt. Mosier as watch commander, Mosier would say to Plaintiff as he walked in, 'Hey Alan' and grab his penis in a sexual manner while making sexual sounds like moaning," according to the lawsuit. Again in the locker room, this time in July of 2015, Barboiu said Mosier said "you damn foreigner," made fun of the way he spoke and later walked by his desk and shouted "Loser!" at him. Barboiu alleged that over the next several years, Mosier would tell other officers to stay away from him, that he would "bring them down" and assigned officers to drive by and monitor him at places where he was assigned to patrol. Barboiu said he was written up for insubordination, which he suspects was at the request of Mosier. Barboiu also alleges that a report from a car accident that involved the Chief's son as one of the drivers was influenced to make it appear that Chief Mosier's son was not at fault. Again, Piscataway Twp. declined to comment on any of these allegations. Barboiu is asking for lost wages, punitive damages, personal injury payments, a trial by jury and other payments. Get great local news. Sign up for Patch: https://patch.com/subscribe Contact this Patch reporter: [email protected]