TETERBORO - An airplane mechanic who worked for a charter jet service at Teterboro Airport claims he was fired for refusing to sign off on a plane with a fuel leak, according to a lawsuit.

Dennis Portalatin of Fairfield alleges he was hired in Oct. 2015 by Pro Pilots LLC and was earning about $90,000 a year as an airplane mechanic at Teterboro Airport.

Pro Pilots provides charter jet services throughout the United States and maintains a business office on Industrial Avenue in Teterboro, according to the suit.

Shortly after he was hired, Portalatin noticed "accurate records of mechanical failures were not being properly recorded in the maintenance log books by the pilots, or otherwise," according to the suit filed in Bergen County Superior Court.

The suit states the inaccuracies were violations of Federal Aviation Administration regulations.

For several months, Portalatin complained about the alleged violations to his superiors at Teterboro, the suit states.

"In response to each complaint, plaintiff was told that if he could not fix each mechanical failure that he found, he should not worry about it because a trip was planned for the aircraft in question and it had to fly," the suit states.

"Plaintiff was repeatedly assured that each mechanical irregularity would be fixed at the next stop," the suit states.

On Jan. 25, Portalatin claims he was servicing a nine-seat Dassault Falcon 20 when he found eight issues, most of which he was able to correct.

However, when Portalatin came across fuel leaking from a wing and fuselage, he told a supervisor he could not fix the leak for a few days because his employers did not own hangar space at the airport, the suit states.

"Let it go. We will get it fixed somewhere else," said Director of Maintenance Jim Martin, according to the suit. "We have seven passengers we have to take. What does the pilot think?"

"The pilot is not the decision maker," Portalatin claims he responded. "I am the mechanic. I'm not signing off for a fuel leak."

On Jan. 31, Portalatin claims he received a letter terminating his employment "with immediate effect."

Portalatin said he later learned the plane in question flew on Feb. 1, although the suit does not say if the leak was fixed.

Portalatin claims he was fired in retaliation for disclosing a "violation of a law, rule or regulation" and for refusing to participate in an activity that would have violated regulations, the suit states.

The suit claims Pro Pilots violated the New Jersey Conscientious Employee Protection Act.

Portalatin is seeking back and front pay, lost benefits, emotional distress damages, attorney fees and court costs.

Pro Pilots representatives were not immediately available for comment on Monday.

A lawyer for the company told the New York Post that Pro Pilots follows FAA regulations and addresses safety issues. The lawyer declined to comment on Portalatin's allegations.

Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.