Two Rutgers University students file lawsuit against New Brunswick police after alleged beating during raid

From[HERE] NEW BRUNSWICK — Two Rutgers University students have filed a federal lawsuit accusing New Brunswick police of beating them and ransacking their room when officers raided their off-campus apartment house.

Jake Kostman, 20, of Stanhope and Kareem Najjar, 19, of Clifton say plainclothes police busted open the door to their Somerset Street rental house at 4:30 a.m. on Dec. 10 and rushed into their bedroom yelling, but did not identify themselves as police officers.

The students, both sophomores, say they were punched and kicked by police, and their basement bedroom was ransacked, with books, notes and computers tossed on the floor the week before their final exams.

"It was extremely excessive," said Kostman, who said he suffered nerve damage in one hand from being handcuffed.

"My father was a police officer. I was raised to show respect," Kostman said in an interview. Referring to his allegations of abusive force, Kostman said, "you hear stories about this. We want police who provide protection, not be bullies."

Neither student was charged, but police searched rooms on the second and third floors of the house, and made several arrests on drug charges, authorities said.

James O’Neill, a spokesman for the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office, said undisclosed quantities of marijuana, ecstasy and LSD were confiscated at the house. While declining to comment on the lawsuit, which was filed Tuesday in Trenton by New York attorney Bryan Konoski, "we were previously aware of their claim and we are reviewing it," O’Neill said.

This was the second time in a week that actions by New Brunswick police have come under scrutiny. On Monday, a YouTube video surfaced of city police arresting two Rutgers students in New Brunswick on Feb. 5. In that video, an officer is seen punching a student four times in the head and shoulder area while he is on the ground as three other officers try to handcuff him.

Police are reviewing the video and other evidence in the case to determine if officers followed proper procedure.

Kostman and Najjar said they were sleeping when police entered their bedroom on that December morning, yelling, cursing and shining flashlights in their faces, but not identifying themselves as police. The plainclothes officers allegedly handcuffed the two men and pulled out of the bedroom before stating they were officers.

The students -- each of whom is seeking $2 million in damages -- say they were taken to a first-floor living room and told to sit on a couch in their underwear while the door and windows were left open.

When the students asked police to close the door, officers refused, with one officer saying, "I’m feeling pretty warm. I don’t know about you guys," according to the lawsuit.

Kostman and Najjar said police released them, after arresting four other tenants. Kostman said he has since moved out of the house and now commutes from Stanhope. He had to give up a part-time job, he said.

Najjar, who signed a lease for his room, said he stays there some nights, but feels less secure in the apartment.

"It was a nerve-wracking experience," he said.