JERSEY CITY, N.J. (CN) - Two drunken Jersey City police detectives and the mayor's son beat a man so badly he suffers from seizures, developed a brain tumor and lost his job, the man claims in court.
Hector Mejias sued the Jersey City, Healy's Tavern, Jeremiah Healy Jr., the Jersey City Police Department, several police officers and Dets. Chris Heger and Mark D'Ambrosio, in Hudson County Superior Court.
Mejias claims he was driving past Healy's Tavern on Sep. 29, 2012 when he saw three men beating a man in the middle of the street. He says in the lawsuit that all three men "appeared to be highly intoxicated."
Defendant Healy, the mayor's son, owns and operates Healy's Tavern, Mejias says in the July 16 complaint.
Mejias claims that he stopped, told the assailants they would kill the man unless they stopped, and that he was going to call the police on his cell phone, when "the men identified themselves as police."
The lawsuit continues: "The three men then started to approach plaintiff aggressively and appeared to be highly intoxicated.
"As the men were approaching plaintiff, plaintiff attempted to flee by getting into his vehicle.
"When plaintiff entered his vehicle, the three men opened the car door and started punching plaintiff violently in the head.
"In self-defense, plaintiff bit the hand of one of the assailants.
"Although plaintiff was able to bite the hand of one of his assailants, plaintiff was forcibly removed from the vehicle whereby the three individuals continued to beat him and kick him violently."
Mejias says police arrived soon and arrested him on a charge of aggravated assault, though the men who beat him and the other man were not arrested or charged.
"From police reports and media articles, plaintiff learned that the three individuals who beat him were Jeremiah Healy, the son of the mayor of Jersey City and the owner of Healy's Tavern, Detective Chris Heger and Detective Mark D'Ambrosio," the complaint states.
Mejias claims that the police defendants covered up the incident by filing false reports.
A grand jury found that the officers had no probable cause to arrest Mejias, according to the complaint.
Mejias says he suffered permanent brain damage from the beating, now suffers from seizures and has developed a brain tumor that will require surgery.
He says he is "permanently disabled and cannot function without numerous medications to control his seizures and other ailments that did not exist prior to the beating."
Mejias says that before the beating he was commercial truck driver, but because of his brain injury and seizures and the need to take medication, his commercial driver's license was revoked.
He seeks punitive damages for constitutional violations, negligence and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
He is represented by Mario Blanch of West New York, N.J.
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