Black Man Claims NJ Police Illegally Searched His Car: Report

DEPTFORD TOWNSHIP, NJ — A Delaware man has filed a lawsuit alleging racial profiling from two South Jersey police departments, although one police department said it was not involved in the incident.

Ebrum Joe, who is Black, names both the Gloucester Township and Deptford Township police departments in a recently filed lawsuit in which he claims police illegally searched his car, NJ.com reports.

But although the traffic stop reportedly occurred on the border of the two townships, Gloucester Township police say they weren’t involved in the incident.

“A preliminary investigation was conducted by the Gloucester Township Police Department Professional Standards Unit, which revealed that this incident did not involve anyone from the Gloucester Township Police Department,” Gloucester Township Police Chief David Harkins said in a statement provided to Patch. “It is believed that the incident claimed in the lawsuit occurred in Deptford Township, Gloucester County. The Gloucester Township Legal Department has notified the plaintiff's counsel. We have no further comment on this litigation.”

Joe also claims the police tried to get him and his two passengers, who were also Black, to admit that they had been smoking marijuana, according to the report. When they didn’t, police searched his car, according to the report. Nothing was found, and the three men were allowed to leave.