N.J. Cops Under Investigation After Black Teen Pinned to Ground Amid Fight with White Teen

Two New Jersey cops are under investigation after they were seen on video pinning a Black teenager to the ground after he got into a fight with a white teenager.

In a video shot over the weekend that has since circulated around social media, the two teenagers are seen getting into a scuffle inside the Bridgewater Commons Mall in Bridgewater, New Jersey.

Following an argument, the white teenager, identified by WABC as a high schooler, points his finger at the Black teen — identified by the outlet as an eighth grader named Kyle.

After Kyle pushes the high schooler’s hand away, the white teenager pushes Kyle who appears to throw the first punch.

As the two teenagers fight, one female cop and one male cop arrive and push the white teenager onto a couch.

The male cop then pins the Black teenager to the ground, and the female cop leaves the white teen to assist. The male cop then handcuffs Kyle.

Kyle later spoke to WABC and claims the fight began after the high schooler was picking on a friend who is a 7th-grader.

"My friend was arguing with the older kid and so I kind of just jumped into a fight, and since he's older, he was on top of me and he's bigger," Kyle said. "I was just confused and mad about it."

With regard to his scuffle with police, Kyle recounted, “They basically tackled me to the ground and then the male officer put his knee in my back and then he started putting me in cuffs then the female officer came over and put her knee on my upper back, too, and started helping him put cuffs on me while he was just sitting down on the couch watching the whole thing.”

While Kyle's mother, Ebone, told the outlet that she is grateful her son is okay, she wants the cops involved to be fired.

"I had to watch [the video] on mute. I still haven't watched it and listened to the sound. I'm baby-stepping my way into watching it, but it's just crazy," Ebone said.

In response to the controversy, the Bridgewater Police Department said they are calling for an internal affairs investigation and have requested assistance from the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office.

“We appreciate the videos that we have already received from community members and ask that anyone who has a video of this incident [to] please email it to tips@bridgewaterpd.com. The men and women of the Bridgewater Township Police Department are thankful for our community partners and look forward to continuing to build our positive relationships,” they said in a statement.

In their own statement, the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office say they have “been notified of an incident at the Bridgewater Commons Mall involving a physical altercation between two juvenile males and response from Bridgewater Township Police Officers.”