RACIST CHIEF
Federal complaint: Bordentown police chief beat black suspect in handcuffs, spouted racial epithets, threatened to ‘mow em’ down’ when talking about black Trenton residents >>
Trenton residents have feared driving through predominantly white Bordentown Township in Burlington County for years.
Those trepidations will not be put to rest anytime soon after Bordentown’s former police chief was hit with an explosive complaint by the feds, alleging hate crimes and outlining Nucera’s constant use of the n-word.
According to a copy of a criminal complaint filed Wednesday by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Nucera, 60, of the first block of Germantown Road in Bordentown, had a special hatred against African-Americans from Trenton.
“I wish that (n-word) would come back from Trenton and give me a reason to put my hands on him, I’m tired of ‘em. These ni**ers are like ISIS, they have no value. They should line them all up and mow ‘em down. I’d like to be on the firing squad, I could do it. I used to think about if I could shoot someone or not, I could do it, I’m tired of it.”
That rant was documented and made to a subordinate officer in November 2015 when Nucera suspected a previously arrested black man had slashed the tires of a police vehicle.
Unbeknownst to Nucera, many of his racist remarks were secretly recorded by at least one officer from his department.
Another documented incident that illuminated Nucera’s racism came to light on Sept. 1, 2016. Police had responded to a call at the Bordentown Ramada hotel about two individuals who failed to pay for a hotel room, but were swimming in the pool.
The hotel guests were an 18-yearold African-American male and his 16-year-old female companion, who was also black. A physical altercation ensued when police confronted the pair and one of the cops peppersprayed the teenage boy and called for backup.
Nucera and several officers responded. Once the pair was arrested and in cuffs, Nucera allegedly grabbed the boy’s head and slammed it into a metal doorjamb. One officer described the sound as a “loud thud.”
The police chief’s aggression did not end there. Nucera allegedly took a swing toward the 18-year-old’s head, which resulted in his own officer hitting his right shoulder on the doorjamb and the arrestee being struck. Again, the blow was described as ‘significant.”
An officer did not report Nucera’s excessive force, even though he viewed it as such, for fear of retaliation.
The apprehended 18-year-old asked for treatment due to a possible concussion. An EMS technician responding to the scene allegedly called the 18-year-old a “dumbass.” Feds say Nucera also referred to the teenager as “f**king little, f**king ni**er.”
Nucera’s words would again come back to haunt him after the hotel encounter as he spoke about the situation with an officer who was secretly recording the chief.
“I’m f**king tired of them man. I’ll tell you what, it’s gonna get to the point where I could shoot one of these motherf**kers. And that ni**er bitch lady, she almost got it.”
When he asked the officer where the apprehended individuals were from, the cop responded, “Trenton, I think.” “Stay the f**k out of Bordentown. Now they can go home and tell them, you can go to,” the police chief shot back.
Nucera also allegedly blamed the police response to the hotel “cause of six unruly f**king ni**ers.”
The officer made these incriminating recordings of Nucera over a one-year period. Since New Jersey is a one-party consent state, as long as the officer knew he was recording, the tapes were legally recorded. The officer told the feds he began recording his boss because he became “increasingly alarmed” by Nucera’s “racist remarks and hostility toward African-Americans.”
Nucera used police dogs to also allegedly scare African-Americans.
According to the complaint, when Bordentown would provide security for high school basketball games, Nucera allegedly ordered the dogs to be stationed at the entrance of the gym to intimidate black patrons.
On April 30, 2016, Nucera directed an officer to walk a police dog through an apartment complex to “let these f**king moulies see him.”
“Let ‘em see him. I don’t care,” Nucera said on the recorded conversation.
Bragging about the dog’s powers, Nucera said, “You’d have seen two f**king ni**ers stop dead in their tracks.”
“I love that when they do that. I just love that,” the chief reportedly said.
Nucera was also allegedly documented to use the disgusting terms, “ni**ers, ni*s, moulinyans and moulies,” the feds outlined in the complaint.
Approximately 75 percent of the residents in Bordentown are white while 10 percent are black.
Nucera mysteriously retired in January 2017 in the wake of the investigation.
Township officials remained tight-lipped about the circumstances surrounding the chief’s departure.
Nucera, who earned an annual salary of $147,724, was also the township’s administrator before he retired.
The former chief started working for Bordentown Township in 1983. His son is still on the force as an officer.
In a statement following Nucera’s arrest, Bordentown Administrator Michael Theokas said “the township will continue to cooperate and comply with all authorities, as we have from the beginning.”
“As this is an ongoing legal matter, the township has no further comment at this time,” Theokas said.
In May 2014, Nucera made headlines when he was shot in the leg with his own weapon at the township’s tax collector’s office.
At the time, prosecutors said there was a juvenile in the tax collector’s office with a parent who was conducting business, and that the juvenile may have been responsible for discharging the gun. Nucera was taken to the hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.
In his most recent case, Nucera is charged with one count of hate crime and one count of deprivation of rights under color of law.
If found guilty, the disgraced former chief could face a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each offense.
Burlington County Prosecutor Scott A. Coffina said Wednesday in a statement that his office was “sickened by the allegations and hateful comments” of Nucera. “There is no place for these sentiments or actions in our society, and they most definitely do not reflect the ideals of the law enforcement community across Burlington County,” the Burlington County prosecutor said. “It is not a reflection of the culture of the Bordentown Township Police Department, its current leadership, or the dedicated officers on the force. In fact, as the Acting U.S. Attorney noted during his press conference, the information leading to these charges was brought forward by individuals within the Bordentown Police Department itself.”
With Trenton residents receiving the brunt of Nucera’s hateful speech, city spokesman Michael Walker said in a statement that the former police chief “does not speak for the good people of Bordentown, who are our neighbors.”
“The complaint, however, is a strong indication that Mr. Nucera is facing a number of personal challenges that require counseling and other professional assistance, and our interest in him is limited to our compassion for all human beings,” Walker said. “As you know, Trenton and its people are resilient, and the Mayor is focused on improving the lives of our residents and working in collaboration with myriad stakeholders to strengthen the city’s economy, not responding to racist speech by someone who’s clearly an embarrassment to his community.”
In a statement, acting U.S. Attorney William E. Fitzpatrick said “the nobility of police officers is rooted in their selfless commitment to protect our communities and their pledge to honor our constitutional values.”
“As Chief of the Bordentown Township Police Department, the defendant dishonored the profession by doing neither,” Fitzpatrick said. “The complaint alleges that the defendant harbored an intense racial animosity towards African Americans, and on September 1, 2016, that senseless hatred led to the unlawful assault of a handcuffed and defenseless prisoner. The conduct alleged is a shocking breach of the duty of every police officer to provide equal justice under the law and never to mistreat a person in custody.”
In a Jan. 12 separation agreement that The Trentonian needed to sue to obtain, Nucera was officially relieved of his two duties in the township on Jan. 31,
Under the terms of the agreement, Nucera was paid $12,000 in unused sick time, $18,052 in accumulated vacation time and he received an unspecified payment of $23,950.
Nucera gave up his rights to ever pursue a job in the township again.