He was charged with assault on a police officer and resisting arrest after exiting his car to ask why he got a ticket
TOMS RIVER -- A deaf man who alleged Toms River police "ignored, humiliated and treated him like a non-person" following his 2012 arrest tentatively agreed Wednesday to settle his discrimination suit for $15,000.
A deaf Massachusetts man settled a discrimination suit against Toms River police and the Ocean County jail for $15,000. The Ocean County Department of Corrections was also named as a defendant in the lawsuit filed by John Buccieri Jr., of South Grafton, Mass.
The news was first reported by NJ Civil Settlements, which provides a partial list of settlements paid by New Jersey government agencies and their insurers to those who have sued them.
Buccieri said he was pulled over and given a ticket on Dec. 12, 2012. When he exited the car to tell the officer he was deaf and ask why he was ticketed, the cop "became irate" and "confronted (Buccieri) in an aggressive manner," court papers state.
Police then arrested Buccieri, charging him with resisting arrest and assault on a police officer, the suit says. The officer then allegedly ignored his repeated requests for a sign language interpreter.
The Ocean County jail also failed to provide him a video phone so he could contact with his family or an interpreter so he could communicate while locked up, according to the suit.
As part of the agreement, Toms River police agreed to better accommodate the hearing impaired through the use of signs.
Buccierri turns 48 this year, according to public records.
The Toms River chief's spokesman said he would forward NJ Advance Media's request for comment to the police's legal department.
Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Find NJ.com on Facebook.