Democratic Politician Asked to Resign After Being Charged With Assault for Allegedly Kicking Liquor Bottle Out of Homeless Man’s Hand
A new Jersey politician is being asked to step down after being charged with assaulting a homeless man. (Photo: Felix K’stle/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images)
NJ Advance Media reported on Thursday that Dover Councilman Sergio Rodriguez was charged with assault and harassment of a homeless man and is currently facing requests to resign from his position. The New Jersey politician allegedly kicked a liquor bottle out of the man’s hands, and the incident was caught on CCTV footage in the area.
A separate video of the incident was allegedly filmed by Rodriguez himself and posted to social media, as the politician made a series of videos documenting homeless people because he believed the issue needed greater attention from law enforcement. It has since been taken down, according to NJ Advance Media.
The outlet reported that one of the videos showed Rodriguez having an encounter with three homeless men on a bench, and then following them down the street.
“What he left out was what the CCTV footage showed, which is the part where he kicked the bottle out of the guy’s hands,” Morris County Young Democrats T.C. McCourt President said, according to NJ Advance Media. “The only reason why the police were able to link everything up is because his footage.”
The footage was obtained through the Open Public Records Act and can be viewed here. In the video he posted to social media, Rodriguez made a 911 call claiming the homeless men were drunk and disrupting traffic on the road. Yet, the CCTV video demonstrates otherwise — the individuals are seen sitting on a bench.
The video shows a man, purported to be Rodriguez, approach the bench and kicking a liquor bottle out of one of the man’s hands.
The Democratic Councilman faced charges of simple assault and harassment in the local Dover courts in February. The case has since been transferred to Lincoln Park.
In a separate video recorded on a police body camera, the politician showed officers the bottle and admitted to kicking it out of the homeless man’s hand.
“That’s the bottle,” Rodriguez informed officers in the video. “That’s what he’s saying that I kicked him, ’cause I kicked the bottle out of their hands. So that’s what he’s talking about.”
The Democratic councilman was elected in 2023. His case was transferred twice after a court administrator informed the outlet there was a conflict of interest.
Rodriguez is facing calls to resign from the Morris County Young Democrats.
“I obviously believe in him having his day in court,” said Dover Councilwoman Sandra Wittner in a statement. “But regardless of what happens with his court case, the videos speak for themselves. He has admitted on police body cameras that he did kick a bottle out of the man’s hand, and the conduct is just unbecoming, especially for a public official.”
He was arrested and charged two days after the video was released. Legal representatives for Rodriguez claim he will share his side of the story in court.
“Councilman Rodriguez would love the opportunity to address the allegations, but out of respect for the legal process he is going to do that in court,” Joseph S. Scura, Rodriguez’s attorney, said in a statement. “It is our belief that when this is all said and done, these allegations will be proven to be nothing more than political gamesmanship at the expense of the residents in Dover.”
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