CARTERET -- A borough police officer under investigation over allegations that he beat and bloodied a 16-year-old after a brief car chase last week has been placed on administrative leave, officials confirmed.

Hours after NJ Advance Media published an article Wednesday detailing the teen's allegations from the early morning of May 31, a spokesman for the police department said Officer Joseph Reiman was on restricted duty.

On Thursday, Reiman was placed on paid leave while the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office and borough internal affairs investigate, Carteret Police Deputy Chief Dennis McFadden said following an evening borough council meeting.

Neighborhood residents told NJ Advance Media on Thursday that officials from the prosecutor's office and internal affairs had been in the area interviewing people about the incident.

No administrative or criminal charges have been filed against Reiman or any other officer who responded to the accident, and no one else has been placed on restricted or administrative leave following the incident.

Reiman, who joined the department in 2015, could not be reached for comment.

At the council meeting, Jamal Bosman, wearing a black t-shirt pressed with images of the injured teen in the hospital, called on police to "break the blue wall of silence."

"What happened to him was not deserved," Bosman said. "Officers know what happened. You always preach, 'If you see something, say something.' Well, they saw something."

Mayor Daniel Reiman, the officer's older brother, said during the meeting he and borough officials were unable to comment on the specifics of the incident as county and local authorities continue their investigation.

"They will take any appropriate action that is necessary against any party that was involved in any type of activity that doesn't stand up to what we expect of our police, if, in fact, that's the case," the mayor said.

The incident occurred at the corner of Edwin and Bergen streets after the unlicensed teen led police on a brief chase before crashing his parent's black sedan into a suspension wire connected to a utility pole.

The teen, whose father allowed his son to be interviewed and photographed on Saturday, claims he stepped out of the car with his hands up, uninjured from the crash that deployed both airbags.

The teenager, who's not being named because he's a minor, claims officer Reiman grabbed him and punched him in his right eye, knocking him on his back. The teen alleges Reiman then kneeled on him and punched him more than a dozen times.

The teen claims another officer kicked him in the face while Reiman handcuffed him.

Medical records provided by the teen's father as well as a report by emergency medical personnel, both of which contained details of the incident, said the teen tried to run from police after the crash.

But the teen and other witnesses, who could describe the scene but did not see the incident, said the teen was on the ground less than three feet from the crashed car.

Richard Watkins, who lives about 35 feet from where the incident occurred and said he did see the alleged assault, corroborated the teen's account. The teen was hospitalized for about a day and a half.

The family has since hired a lawyer, Hassen Abdellah.

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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