Bridgewater to settle over police handling of mall fight

A viral video showed a Black teen handcuffed, while white teen remained seated on a couch

Raven Santana, Correspondent | December 19, 2023 | Law & Public Safety

Bridgewater Township has reached a proposed settlement with a local family after police came under scrutiny for their response to a fistfight between a Black and white teen at the local mall in February 2022. The video of the fight showed Z’Kye Husain, a Black teen, being pinned down and handcuffed by police, while the white teen remained seated on a couch.

The video went viral and the incident drew national attention, with the Husain family filing a lawsuit against Bridgewater Township in November, alleging negligence, discrimination and failure to train its police officers. The suit asked for more than $100,000 for the family. Z’kye’s parents are scheduled to appear in Somerset County Superior Court on Jan. 30 for the settlement hearing.

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