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Borough resident Calvin Ramsey, 42, was charged with aggravated assault on a police officer following the incident outside School #6 on Oakdene Avenue on Thursday, May 5. He was released pending a court hearing under New Jersey's 2017 bail reform law.
Cellphone images of the incident quickly went viral, including one that shows Ramsey on top of the beleaguered officer as he tries to radio for help.
“When I see him, I’m gonna f*ck him up, whether y’out here or not,” Ramsey later tells one of the responding police officers in a video that has since gone viral. “I’m gonna f*ck him up. Straight up.”
WARNING: Profane language. CLICK HERE for the video.
Witnesses told police it began when Ramsey spotted his teenaged stepson on his daughter's bike.
“He started smacking the kid,” one said.
The special officer tried to stop him -- and took the brunt of Ramsey’s rage instead, witnesses said.
The teen was taken to Holy Name Medical Center in Teaneck with bruises on his knees and scratches on his neck, responders said.
Ramsey couldn't immediately be reached for comment.
Parents were incensed.
“What a great example he’s setting for the kids who look up to him,” said another. “Very disappointing smh.”
Ramsey served eight years in prison on a drug-related conviction out of Stamford, CT in the late 2000s, records show.
He found a new start in Cliffside Park following his release thanks to friends.
“He’s supposed to be a role model to the children and this is the type of behavior he demonstrates,” another mom told Daily Voice. “I hope he doesn’t get away with this because of the people he knows in town.”
"He needs to be banned from playing with the children," yet another said.
A great many police officers in New Jersey begin as “specials.”
They undergo a dozen or so weeks of police academy training and are divided into separate classifications.
Class 1 officers don’t carry guns. They get a radio and handcuffs, as well as a baton and sometimes pepper spray, both of which they are taught to use. They’re often used at events and on traffic details.
Class 2 officers carry guns and can enforce city and motor vehicle ordinances and disorderly persons offenses.
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