Asian-American teen sues 'racist' police after being locked in a freezing van for 15 hours without food and water

A teenage boy who was locked in a police van along with four friends for 15 hours without food or water is suing the Fort Lee Police Department in Newark, including its chief and 19 police officers.

Adam Kim filed has filed his civil suit in federal court in Newark claiming that officers falsely arrested and unlawfully detained him and violated his civil rights during the March 2011 incident.

According to the complaint, Kim, then 17, was one of about a dozen minors transported to police headquarters after officers broke up a loud house party. The minors were not advised of their Miranda rights or told why they were being arrested, the complaint states.

The teenagers, including Adam Kim, were left locked in the police van for 15 hours

The teenagers, including Adam Kim, were left locked in the police van for 15 hours

Retired police chief Thomas Ripoli has been named in the civil lawsuit filed by Adam Kim against the Fort Lee police force

Retired police chief Thomas Ripoli has been named in the civil lawsuit filed by Adam Kim against the Fort Lee police force

The Korean American plaintiff alleges that the officers ‘displayed a pattern of racial bias and/or indifference’ by using a racial slur to reference Asian-Americans.

Upon arriving at police headquarters, some of the teens were led inside the building. The remaining handful - mostly of Asian descent, and all of whom had their cellphones confiscated - were kept locked in the van and weren't acknowledged when two officers returned to the vehicle later to respond to a couple of calls before they took the van back to police headquarters, the suit said.

Kim and the others were left inside the vehicle for 15 hours in below-freezing temperatures without food, water or toilet facilities, the complaint stated.

Without a bathroom, the teens had to relieve themselves in front of each other. They also had to huddle together for warmth, as temperatures hovered below freezing and Kim was wearing just a T-shirt.

It wasn't until about 3 p.m. the next afternoon when a passer-by saw the boys and called police, who then came to release them.

Several weeks later, the borough demoted one officer and suspended others without pay. Investigators had determined that three officers, whose names officials would not release, unintentionally abandoned the teens in the van by failing to follow procedures. The borough also disciplined at least five other officers for violating procedures.

Adam Kim is suing the Fort Lee Police Department for violating his civil rights

Adam Kim is suing the Fort Lee Police Department for violating his civil rights

But the internal-affairs investigation found no evidence of ‘malicious or discriminatory intent’ by the officers, the head of the department's internal-affairs unit wrote in his findings.

Kim is seeking a trial by jury and wants a judge to award him compensatory and punitive damages, as well as fees associated with the lawsuit.

His lawyer, Nancy Lucianna, said her client, now a college freshman, suffers post-traumatic stress, anxiety and depression from the ordeal, has sought professional counseling and is on medication.

‘What happened to him and those other young men that day was an utter lack of supervision and a failure in the chain of command of the Police Department,’ Lucianna said. ‘I want to question the chief of police. … We want to have some explanation.’

The police chief named in the suit, Thomas Ripoli, stepped down Monday after four decades with the department, eight of which he served as police chief. 

Lawyer Nancy Lucianna says her client still suffers post-traumatic stress, anxiety and depression from his ordeal

Lawyer Nancy Lucianna says her client still suffers post-traumatic stress, anxiety and depression from his ordeal