A civil rights lawsuit filed by two former Secaucus residents against the town of Secaucus is scheduled to go to trial starting April 14.
The suit, filed by domestic partners Timothy Carter and Peter DeVries, stems from alleged harassment the men received while living in Secaucus on Schopmann Drive, next door to the North End Firehouse.
Carter and DeVries allege that some volunteer firefighters from that unit allegedly made them the targets of a campaign of hatred and violence that spanned two years.
The couple has since moved to a different town in Hudson County.
Carter and DeVries’ suit alleges that the harassment began shortly after they moved next door to the North End Firehouse in 2002 and allegedly escalated over time. The men further claim that the harassment culminated in a violent, drunken rampage that took place on April 25, 2004 at around 1 a.m.
The men allege that the rowdy and drunk firefighters next door took offense when the couple asked them to quiet down. In retaliation, the men allege, the firefighters began yelling anti-gay epithets, threw items onto their property, and threatened to kill them.
The Secaucus Police Department, the Hudson County Prosecutors Office, and the State Attorney General all investigated the allegations – which also led to a separate investigation of alleged drinking in firehouses.
“I was raised in the South, and I’ll tell you, this was like an old style lynch mob,” Carter said last week.
Although the alleged incident lasted barely 12 minutes, Carter said he and his partner of 22 years feared for their lives.
The case could reopen old wounds and divide a town that typically supports its popular volunteer Fire Department, one that includes many Secaucus town employees. Many Secaucus residents feel this divisive case and a few bad apples in the department have given a back eye to an otherwise fine group of firefighters.
Town Attorney Frank Leanza, who was away last week, was unavailable for comment.
‘Taken its toll’
Carter and DeVries said they have waited a long time for their day in court.
“I just hope justice is served,” Carter said. “At times, it just got to be so hard, waiting for this thing to move to the next level, that we considered dropping it all. But then, when I think of what we went through, I just thought, we can’t.”
In their civil case, the couple is being represented by well-known civil rights attorney Neil Mullin of Newark. Mullin is widely considered to be one of the top civil rights attorneys in the state of New Jersey.
Mullin was on vacation last week and did not answer questions for comment.
While Carter remains optimistic about the outcome of next month’s trial, he said the incidents were hard on his partner.
“When all of this happened, Peter had just had a heart attack,” he said. “And to be honest, in a lot of ways, he has never fully recovered. It think the incident really took an emotional toll on him.”
The more reserved DeVries simply added, “I’m just happy we finally seem to be getting somewhere with the case. I can’t say that I’m looking forward to it, but I am glad that the trial will be getting underway soon.”