Update: This story has been updated to include the full statement issued by the mayor.

Faced with allegations on social media of sexual misconduct with teenage boys, Carteret Mayor Daniel Reiman requested restraining orders this week against four people -- including his Republican opponent and an alleged victim -- to keep them from making defamatory statements about him.

Reiman, a Democrat running for his fifth term as mayor, denies claims he is a "sexual predator" and said he does not want Carteret voters to be swayed by the allegations when they go to the polls in three weeks.

"During the past 12 months, the Carteret Republican Party, led by mayoral candidate Fred Gattuso, has launched a series of slanderous and personal attacks against my administration and myself. Even by their standards, this conduct is deplorable. While it is campaign season and underhanded tactics may be expected, there is no place in our political process for such baseless and vicious claims. I am fully confident the voters will not be duped by this intentional misrepresentation," Reiman said in a statement.

Reiman filed court papers in Middlesex County Superior Court Tuesday asking for temporary restraining orders against: Frederick Gattuso, his Republican opponent in the mayoral race; Anthony Gallo, head of the Republican Party in Carteret; Mohammed Radwan, a Howell resident who grew up in Carteret says he was sexually harassed by the mayor as a teenager; and Kirandeep Siddhu, a Carteret resident who has posted about the mayor on Facebook.

The mayor asked the court to order all four people to stop making defamatory statements about him on social media, in writing or in public statements. Reiman said he has been falsely accused online of corruption, theft, driving while intoxicated and sexual misconduct with boys.

The court filings include examples of statements, including a four-page letter written by Radwan detailing Reiman's alleged attempts to grope him and other boys and ask for sexual favors in the 1990s, beginning when Radwan was a teenager.

"Dan Reiman is a sexual predator who preys upon under-aged boys. I know because I have witnessed and experienced it myself," Radwan, 35, wrote in a letter that Reiman included in court papers seeking a restraining order.

Radwan told NJ Advance Media the mayor's request for a temporary restraining order against him comes as he is planning to file a defamation lawsuit against Reiman. Radwan said the mayor has been contacting his family members and friends to ask them to discredit Radwan's allegations.

"This mayor is trying to avoid responsibility for his past by tying me to the Republicans," Radwan said. "It's a scare tactic. This guy is willing to do anything to maintain his position of power."

Gattuso, who is running against Reiman for mayor, called the request for a temporary restraining order "ridiculous." He denied he was the first person to post Radwan's letter, but said he shared it online after it became public.

"He's trying to suppress the truth from coming out," Gattuso said of his opponent. "We stand by Mohammed."

The Republican candidate said Reiman filed a similar temporary restraining order against him in July, but he never heard anything more about it after his attorney responded.

Gallo, the local chairman of the Republican party, also said the mayor's court filing was without merit.

Siddhu, the Carteret resident who posted about the mayor on Facebook, said she believes Reiman is going after her in court because she has been outspoken online about the state of the borough's finances.

In a Facebook post in August, Siddhu stated Reiman "has stolen from Shop Rite but the residents put that past them and still voted for him," according to the court papers. The mayor denies the theft allegation.

Siddhu, who said she is a Democrat and a former supporter of the mayor, said she has the right to use her social media account to raise questions about the borough's leaders and finances.

"If I can't ask him questions on his Facebook page, how am I supposed to get my questions answered? As a resident, it's my right to ask questions," Siddhu said.

The dispute comes in the midst of an often-ugly mayoral race in Carteret that has played out largely on social media, in online videos, podcasts and websites. Reiman has called his opponent, Gattuso, "Sick in the head Fred" on his Facebook page.

In September, Gattuso was accused of posting a series of racist sexist and anti-Semitic comments on social media between 2009 and 2013. The Republican denied making the comments and said local Democrats doctored online images to make it appear they came from his accounts.

Local Democrats denied altering social media comments to smear Gattuso.

The election will be held Nov. 6. The $116,355-a-year mayor post in Carteret is one of the highest-paid in the state. The borough has 24,000 residents.

In the previous mayoral election four years ago, Reiman won easily with 3,285 votes. His Republican challenger, Kevin Urban, received 682 votes.

Craig McCarthy may be reached at 732-372-2078 or at CMcCarthy@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @createcraig and on Facebook here. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Kelly Heyboer may be reached at kheyboer@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @KellyHeyboer. Find her at KellyHeyboerReporter on Facebook.