Former New Jersey police officer sentenced to federal prison after recording assault on suicide victim

Responsible for recording his partner beating an attempted suicide victim on cellphone video, a former New Jersey police officer was sentenced Tuesday to six months in federal prison for concealing the assault. While recording the video, the Paterson police officer foolishly turned the on himself to capture a selfie after the beating.

On March 5, 2018, Paterson Police Officer Ruben McAusland and his partner, Roger Then, responded to call from an attempted suicide victim named Andrew Casciano. After following the Casciano to the hospital, McAusland pushed Casciano, who was in a wheelchair, and punched him in the face. In addition, Then allegedly grabbed the victim by the neck and pushed him into the ground.

In a video recorded on Then’s cellphone, McAusland put on a pair of hospital gloves and violently struck Casciano twice across the face as he was lying in a gurney. While recording the video, Then arrogantly showed his face and McAusland’s face without any fear of repercussion.

McAusland and Then filed a false police report in connection with the foregoing events. McAusland admitted that they purposely omitted from the repot the fact that McAusland violently struck Casciano multiple times and that Then grabbed the victim by the neck and pushed him into the ground.

The victim suffered multiple injuries to his face, including a fractured eye socket that required surgery, as a result of their assaults.

On December 6, 2018, Then pleaded guilty to one count of misprision of felony for concealing civil rights violations. McAusland previously pleaded guilty to possessing with intent to distribute narcotics and deprivation of civil rights under color of law and was sentenced March 27, 2019, to 66 months in prison.

On Tuesday, Then was sentenced today to six months in prison for concealing the assault of an attempted suicide victim by another police officer at St. Joseph’s Medical Center in Paterson, New Jersey. In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Judge William Walls sentenced Then to one year of supervised release.