Newark Mayor Ras Baraka and other city officials have been accused by a city police officer of sexual harassment and abusive behavior.

Laura Ciesla, who served as a Newark police officer between 2018 and 2024, filed a federal lawsuit in late August accusing Baraka of making unwanted advances like flirtatious messages, requests for explicit photos and invitations for spa dates that she rejected. Ciesla also accused male colleagues within the Newark Police Department of similar behavior, and claimed she was unfairly punished for testing positive on a drug test for a prescribed painkiller despite alerting supervisors of the prescription.

Ciesla said she reported the harassment to department higher-ups and the police union but got no help. She’s seeking compensation and punitive damages.

Kenyatta Stewart, Newark’s corporation counsel said in a statement: “The city completely denies the allegations in the complaint against the mayor.”

Stewart added that Ciesla’s lawsuit was the first notice on the allegations that the city had received, and that the city would investigate the claims.