An Edison police officer named in a federal lawsuit for allegedly beating a Black resident two years ago has resigned, authorities said Monday.
Matthew Talavera resigned on Dec. 3, according to Edison Police Chief Thomas Bryan. No other information about the resignation was released.
The resignation comes as Talavera faces charges in a federal civil rights lawsuit filed by Carlton R. Brathwaite of Middlesex County.
Brathwaite claims that on October 6, 2023, Talavera and other “unidentified town officials” pushed him to the ground and beat him with weapons.
According to the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court on Sept. 2, 2024, the incident occurred around 1 a.m. when Brathwaite was sitting in a car on Redwood Avenue talking to his brother.
“The vehicle’s engine was turned off and the brothers were listening to music and talking. The brothers had recently lost their mother and were discussing caring for their elderly stepfather,” the lawsuit states.
Brathwaite claims Talavera and other police officers not only assaulted him but also wrongfully arrested him.
He was charged with obstructing law enforcement, disorderly conduct, assaulting a police officer and resisting arrest, the lawsuit states.
The charges were later dismissed in state court after prosecutors and police failed to produce body-worn camera footage, the lawsuit said. His record was subsequently expunged.
In dismissing the case, Judge Colleen M. Flynn admonished police and prosecutors, saying their criminal charges “didn’t pass the smell test,” the lawsuit said.
Brathwaite claimed the incident left him with facial scarring, headaches, emotional distress, anxiety, depression, humiliation and fear. He suffered a laceration to his head that required surgical staples, and he continues to be in pain, the lawsuit states.
The lawsuit also accuses Edison of violating civil rights and accuses Edison and its police department of failing to investigate misconduct, maintain records of citizen complaints and address alleged unlawful conduct by officers.
Brathwaite claims Talavera and the Edison Police Department violated his civil rights, including his rights under the Fourth Amendment, which guarantees him protection from unreasonable searches and seizures.
The provision also requires law enforcement to obtain a search warrant based on probable cause in most cases.
Edison officials declined to comment on the lawsuit.
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