BREAKING NEWS
Police officer reassigned in wake of allegations
BY CLARE MARIE CELANO and MARK ROSMAN Staff Writers

FREEHOLD BOROUGH — A Freehold Borough police officer who is alleged to have been involved in a Jan. 29 altercation with a teenage boy has had his duties changed.

Freehold Borough Police Chief Mitch Roth said on Feb. 5 that “in light of this (Jan. 29) incident, the pending investigation, the concerns raised by the community and in the interest of the police officer and all parties involved, Patrolman Chris Colaner has been reassigned to other police related duties pending the outcome of the investigation.”

The Jan. 29 incident was discussed by members of the public during the Feb. 4 meeting of the Borough Council.

One member of the public who spoke during the council meeting mentioned Colaner’s name in connection with the incident that occurred in the borough on Jan. 29.

Other members of the public who spoke before the council were reacting to a published report which stated that a borough police officer and a 15-year-old boy had a physical altercation during a motor vehicle stop.

Some people who spoke said the boy suffered facial injuries as a result of the incident. Another person indicated that a police officer had also been injured.

Details of the matter had not been made public as of the afternoon of Feb. 5, although people who spoke to the council on Monday indicated that they believe the altercation was the result of mistaken identity and that police did not stop the correct vehicle they were looking for on Jan. 29.

Borough officials listened to what members of the public had to say.

Mayor Michael Wilson said he could not comment on this specific situation, but said officials take matters such as this very seriously.

“Speaking for myself and the council, I can tell you that no one on this side of the table or in the audience will ever condone police brutality and we expect nothing less than a full and thorough investigation of the incident, not only internally with the Freehold Borough Police Department, but with the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office. I’ll leave it at that,” the mayor said.

Council President Michael DiBenedetto said, “I’ve heard a lot of reaction to this incident on the street. We are going to find the truth and settle this.”

In a conversation with the News Transcript on Feb. 5, Roth said, “We take the allegations that have been made against the police department very seriously and we will work hard to resolve the matter. This is a very unfortunate incident. We have a very good group of men and women, a good department, and they do good work and I am proud of them. I understand this is difficult for the community as well as the department. The matter is under investigation and I cannot comment further.”