Update: This story has been updated Wednesday morning with information from the police department.

CARTERET -- The Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office is investigating allegations that police officers punched, kicked and bloodied a 16-year-old suspect last week after he led them on a brief chase before crashing his car, NJ Advance Media has learned.

The incident, which occurred in the early morning of May 31 at the corner of Edwin and Bergen streets, became public after the teenager's family posted pictures of his injuries to Facebook and alleged one of the officers involved, Joseph Reiman, beat their child "savagely."

A man who says he was an eyewitness corroborated the family's claims in an interview four days after the crash.

Mayor Daniel Reiman, the officer's brother, declined to comment on the allegations but called on the county prosecutor's office to release a full accounting of the incident, including police reports, statements and any audio and video recordings.

The mayor said the prosecutor's office was leading the investigation to avoid an appearance of a conflict of interest. He also said in a statement that officers are "made a scapegoat and presumed guilty before any independent investigation is started or completed."

"Comments and innuendos on social media are not facts and the borough awaits the results of this review by the prosecutor's office," he said.

No administrative or criminal charges have been filed against any officers. Joseph Reiman, who joined the force in 2015, could not be reached for comment. The other officers allegedly involved in the incident were not named.

A spokesman for the prosecutor's office, James O'Neill, confirmed the allegations were under investigation but declined to release further details, including the police reports or any recordings at this time. A spokesman for the police department, Capt. Michael Dammann, referred all questions to the prosecutor's office.

On Wednesday morning, Dammann said Reiman had been placed on restricted duty. The other responding officers remain on active duty, he said.

Councilwoman Susan Naples, who is Carteret's civilian police commissioner, said she was aware of an incident involving an unlicensed teenager who had taken his parent's car and crashed into a suspension wire connected to a utility pole after leading police on a chase.

The teenager, who's not being named because he's a minor, said in an interview Saturday that Reiman was following his black sedan, and when the officer turned on his lights, he panicked and hit the gas instead of the brake, lost control and crashed the car.

He said both airbags deployed, but he had fallen on the center console and was not hit by them. He said he did not suffer any injuries from the crash, even though he was not wearing a seatbelt. He said he did not know how fast the car was traveling at the time of impact.

The teen could not explain an 8-inch-wide impression on the inside of the windshield that can be seen in photos of the car, which has been impounded. The family supplied photos from the incident and allowed their son to be photographed.

Medical records provided by the teen's father as well as a report by emergency medical personnel, which provides details of the incident, said the teenager ran after the crash. But the teen and other people who said they were at the scene and were interviewed by NJ Advance Media disputed that account.

Three neighborhood residents, who could describe details of the scene, said the teen was on the ground less than three feet from the car.

The teenager said he got out of the car and stood still with his hands up. He alleges Reiman grabbed his left arm and punched him in his right eye, causing him to fall to his back. The teenager claims Reiman then kneeled on him and punched more than a dozen times.

He then rolled on his stomach, and while Reiman was handcuffing him, the teenager said a second officer, whose name he did not know, kicked him in the face. A third officer helped put him in a patrol car and read him his rights, he said.

The teenager claims he was screaming, "Please help!" and "Stop hitting me!" When he tried to roll over, he said, Reiman yelled over and over, "Stop resisting!" The report by emergency medical personnel said the teenager told them he had fought with officers.

Richard Watkins, whose front door is about 35 feet from where the incident occurred and the only witness interviewed by NJ Advance Media who said he saw the alleged assault, said he heard screams and went to his front stoop. He said he saw an officer on top of the teenager and punching him in the face. Watkins, who was standing across the street, said he witnessed a second officer kick the teenager in the face.

"The way he was punching him was excessive," said Watkins, who said he did not know the teenager or his family. "I thought he was going to beat him to death."

It's unclear if any patrol car dashboard cameras or body cameras, or a nearby surveillance camera, captured the incident.

Witness accounts said the area was lined with seven or eight patrol cars within minutes of the incident. Michelle Schindler, whose second-story window overlooks the intersection, said she watched as officers argued with two angry residents who allegedly witnessed the arrest.

Schindler, who didn't see the alleged assault, said two of the officers then began arguing and one pushed another.

The incident occurred just before 12:15 a.m., witnesses said. The teenager said he was taken to police headquarters without treatment. Emergency medical personnel arrived at the station at 12:46 a.m., according to their incident report.

The records show he was taken to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital about 45 minutes later for treatment. Medical records show he suffered multiple injuries to his face and a concussion. He was held for one night and released Thursday afternoon.

The teenager's father filed an internal affairs complaint hours after the incident with the Carteret police department. The family has since hired a lawyer, Hassen Abdellah, to review the case.

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

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