CAMDEN - A federal judge declared a mistrial Friday on two criminal charges against a former Bordentown Township police chief.

The jury had previously found Frank Nucera Jr. guilty of lying to FBI agents in connection with an alleged assault on a black teenager in September 2016.

But after deliberating over eight days, the jurors could not agree on charges that alleged hate-crime assault and a civil-rights violation by Nucera.

The jury on Wednesday found Nucera had lied to FBI agents when he denied assaulting a suspect during the incident at a Route 206 hotel.

U.S. District Judge Robert Kugler declared the mistrial after polling jury members shortly after 11 a.m.

"Please don't be disappointed," Kugler told the jury of five men and seven women. "You have not let anyone down."

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"We know that you have done your best," said Kugler, who left the bench to stand before the jurors.

Federal prosecutors will retry Nucera, 62, said Craig Carpenito, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey.

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Carpenito also thanked the jury "for its efforts" in a brief statement issued about two hours after the mistrial was declared.

Defense attorney Rocco Cipparone Jr. expressed limited satisfaction with the outcome.

"I’m glad that the jury at a minimum was deadlocked on the two most serious counts," he said.

"For now we’re happy with a mistrial … It shows that after talking about this for eight days, certainly a number of the jurors still had a reasonable doubt."

The Haddon Heights attorney said he did not know how many jurors favored his client's acquittal.

"At least for now, this weight has been lifted from Frank Nucera's shoulders," said Cipparone, adding he's "still somewhat perplexed" by the lone guilty verdict.

Nucera, instructed by Cipparone to remain silent, stood impassively by Cipparone's side during the press conference.

Jurors left a note for the media before leaving the courthouse.

"To the press," the note said. "Please respect our privacy. We will contact you if and when we wish to speak."

Authorities alleged Nucera, who is white, pushed the head of Timothy Stroye against a door jamb in a hotel stairway in an act of "intense racial animus" during the 2016 incident.

In opening statements on Sept. 20, Lorber said Nucera "has a deep animosity for African Americans that … turned to violence."

Cipparone called Nucera's racial slurs "disgusting," but denied his client assaulted Stroye.

Neither Nucera nor Stroye testified at the trial.

According to an indictment, police officers initially went to the Ramada hotel in response to a complaint that two teens who were not guests were swimming in the pool there.

Nucera and other officers arrived in a backup role after Stroye and a 16-year-old girl allegedly resisted arrest, an indictment says.

The indictment says Stroye, with his hands cuffed behind his back, was being led toward a stairwell when he began "loudly complaining."

Nucera approached Stroye from behind, grabbed his head " and slammed it into the metal doorjamb," the indictment alleges.

Later that evening, the indictment says, Nucera was recorded describing Stroye as a "f---ing, little, f---ing (n-word)."

He also reacted to learning the teens were Trenton residents by saying, "Stay the f--- out of Bordentown," according to the indictment.

African Americans represent 50.5 percent of the population in Trenton, compared to 8.6 percent in neighboring Bordentown Township, according to the Census Bureau.

The indictment also alleged Nucera ordered "the racially discriminatory use of police dogs to intimidate African Americans," including at high school basketball games.

It claimed the chief in 2015 used a racial slur in saying black people were "like ISIS, they have no value. They should line them all up and mow ’em down. I’d like to be on the firing squad, I could do it."

Cipparone acknowledged the trial had exposed "ugly and embarrassing comments" by Nucera.

"He’s regretted making those statements,” said Cipparone, "He’s moved past them. He’s moving forward with his life.”

The jury's deliberations were "a very difficult time" for Nucera and his family, Cipparone added.

"Obviously this jury worked very hard. We respect their process," he said.

But Cipparone described the long wait for a decision as "a grueling experience for anyone to go through."

"Mr. Nucera and his family have handled this with grace and dignity," he asserted.

Nucera was a police officer for 34 years, the last 10 as chief of the Bordentown Township force. He also served as the township's administrator.

He pleaded not guilty in 2017 following his retirement.

In a statement Thursday, Bordentown Township Mayor Stephen Benowitz said his community is also "moving forward."

"The township respects the legal process and the outcome of the trial," said the mayor, who did not comment directly on Nucera.

Nucera was accused of lying to the FBI during a recorded investigation by repeatedly denying he had used force against Stroye.

Kugler set a Feb. 16 sentencing date for the conviction for lying to the FBI. However, Cipparone said that date is likely to be postponed until after any retrial.

The defense attorney declined to discuss the potential impact of the conviction on Nucera's pension, noting that issue would be handled by another attorney.