Investigation underway after video allegedly shows NJ Transit officer dragging man

TRENTON, N.J. (WPVI) -- New Jersey Transit Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding a video that is getting a lot of attention online.

Video appears to show an officer drag and hit a man lying on the ground outside of the Trenton Transit Center.

The department has confirmed it is one of their officers in the video.

The woman who took this video says she was waiting to be picked up at the Trenton Transit Center Saturday night when she noticed a commotion. Then, she pulled out her cell phone and started rolling.

The video starts by showing the officer dragging a man and yelling, "Get up and get out," while throwing him onto the pavement.

The footage then shows the man lying motionless on the sidewalk for about 30 seconds before the officer drags him again, cursing at him and hitting him.

"There was no resisting. He wasn't even speaking," said the woman, who wishes to remain anonymous.

"I was torn on what to do. I thought this was the best thing, so that going forward this might not happen to someone else," she added.

She says before the scuffle, she noticed the man sitting against a wall as she walked out of the Transit Center. She says her phone battery was low and it died after about a minute of recording.

"After my phone died it continued to happen. The berating. Probably another five minutes. Dragging him on the cement and dragging his face on the ground," she said.

The video does not show what happened leading up to the incident.

"I don't know if anything occurred. I'm not speculating that anything did. I can only attest to what I saw. And what I saw wasn't warranted," said the woman.

She also says she is an avid police supporter and hopes this results in more training or education for officers.

New Jersey Transit Police released a statement to Action News saying, "We are thoroughly looking into this incident."

On Monday morning, an updated statement was released: "The matter is currently under investigation with New Jersey Transit Police Department's Internal Affairs. The officer has been placed on administrative suspension pending the results of that investigation."