A whistleblower who documented racism at Clark’s town hall is again threatening to sue the township, saying officials have retaliated against him and prevented him from securing new employment.
Former police Lt. Antonio Manata’s potential lawsuit represents the latest development in a scandal thrust into the public eye in March. That’s when NJ Advance Media revealed Clark had paid him more than $400,000 to conceal secret recordings he’d made of the mayor, the police chief and an internal affairs sergeant using racial slurs that included the n-word.
The intent-to-sue notice, filed with the township last month, claims Manata has faced consistent blowback from Clark officials, whom he charges have undermined him in ways large and small. Those range from refusing to process the firearms permit he needs to work as a former law enforcement officer to refusing to pick up recycling at his home in town, says the filing by attorney Anthony Kearns.
The salvo comes as a long-stalled investigation by prosecutors into misconduct at Clark’s police department continues in its third year without resolution, at a cost to local taxpayers that has reached about $1 million and counting.
That’s because two of the police officials caught on Manata’s tapes using racial slurs — Chief Pedro Matos and Sgt. Joseph Teston — have been on paid suspension since the probe was launched in July 2020, as has a police captain Manata accused of retaliation. All three continue to draw six-figure salaries,...
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