Tony Gicas

The (Bergen County, N.J.) Record

CLIFTON, N.J. — Two men were arrested and charged with engaging in lewd behavior on a display bed at Bed Bath & Beyond during regular business hours.

Police officers responded to the store in Clifton on Jan. 30 at 5 p.m. after a report from a witness that two men were engaged in a sex act, records show.

Police arrested two 28-year-old men, one from Nutley and the other from North Carolina. Both were charged with lewdness, criminal mischief and possession of marijuana, according to police records. The Nutley suspect was also charged with having an outstanding warrant for his arrest.

The incident was reported by an employee who witnessed the act, reports show.

One or both of the men apprehended by police were found to be infected with scabies, a contagious skin infestation caused by a microscopic parasite that burrows beneath skin. The arresting officers were exposed to the mites, according to police reports.

Because the two men were found to be suffering from a health condition their identities are protected by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, officials said. However, police said they were not Bed Bath & Beyond employees.

The officers were treated at St. Joseph's Regional Medical Center and released, though they were on leave for a few days to avoid contaminating the Clifton Police Department’s offices, according to the record of the incident, which also said the booking station had to be fumigated by exterminators to prevent any spread of scabies.

A manager at the store declined to comment Thursday and referred inquiries to its headquarters.

Jessica Joyce, senior manager of Bed Bath & Beyond's public relations and social media, emailed a statement reading the company "takes the safety of our customers and associates very seriously" and find this incident "extremely upsetting."

"Out of an abundance of caution, the incident-related merchandise and display was immediately pulled from the floor and discarded," Joyce wrote.