A state civil rights lawsuit filed this week accuses a New Jersey suburb and its past and present officials of directing local police to discriminate against Black and other non-white motorists.
The complaint, brought by New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin and the state Division on Civil Rights, alleges that former mayor Salvatore “Sal” Bonaccorso, suspended police chief Pedro Matos, and current police director Patrick Grady oversaw discriminatory policing in Clark Township, a community about 27 miles south of Manhattan. The lawsuit claims town leadership “systematically discriminated against and harassed Black and other non-white motorists.”
State officials argue the conduct went far beyond isolated incidents, pointing to years of traffic stop data showing Black drivers were pulled over at significantly higher rates than white drivers, despite making up a small percentage of the township’s population.
According to the attorney general’s office, traffic stop data from 2015 to 2020 showed that Black drivers were pulled over roughly 3.7 times more often than white drivers, while Hispanic motorists were stopped about 2.2 times more than white motorists; disparities the complaint argues reflect racially biased enforcement rather than neutral public safety practices.
The suit also points to a whistleblower’s 2020 recordings alleging Bonaccorso and other officials used racial slurs while discussing policing strategies to “keep Black people out” of Clark. The township previously agreed to a $400,000 settlement with the whistleblower after the recordings came to light, though the dispute only became public later.
NJ.com published the secret recordings, which are available below.
WARNING: Racial slurs and other offensive language are audible in these recordings:
Bonaccorso, who served as Clark’s mayor for about 25 years before resigning in January 2025 amid unrelated corruption charges, has dismissed the lawsuit as political, according to local reports. Current Mayor Angel Albanese called the suit “frivolous” and accused the attorney general’s office of playing politics as Platkin’s tenure was ending. Attorneys for Matos have made similar comments.
Matos has been on paid leave since 2020, when the Union County Prosecutor’s Office took control of the police department following the initial complaints. Matos has sued the township seeking to block his dismissal, and those proceedings are ongoing.
In addition to seeking an end to discriminatory law enforcement practices, the state’s lawsuit calls for continued oversight of Clark’s leadership and police department and damages for those affected by the alleged harassment and bias, according to the filing.
