LEONIA, N.J. – Borough officials upheld their decision Tuesday to suspend its entire fire department after allegations that a teenager molested a 3-year-old boy in the firehouse last week.
North Jersey.com reported that the borough owns the firehouse and its equipment, while the volunteer firefighters are members of a separate corporation.
“There is a serious issue regarding the supervision and control of the firehouse, a borough-owned building, when a 3-year-old child was allowed unsupervised on the premises and allegedly fell victim to a criminal sexual assault,” Borough Administrator Jack Terhune said.
The allegations involve a developmentally disabled 18-year-old, Darius Levine, according to the report. Levine was accused of inappropriately touching the young boy late Thursday, was arrested on a sexual-assault charge and is being held in a psychiatric facility, according to the report.
Council President Peter Knott, who was appointed to the Fire Committee on Monday night, said the department’s practice to allow visitors in the building created “tremendous liability” issues, according to the report.
“I don’t think we can diminish the magnitude of what took place,” Knott said. “What has to be done is to organize things so there are no problems in the future. We hope to have everything resolved very, very quickly and have the firehouse open again.”
Paul Kaufman, an attorney representing the 115-year-old volunteer Fire Department, said the committee’s statement was “factually inaccurate,” according to the report. Kaufman, a former Leonia mayor, said the boy was at the firehouse with his father, a firefighter, who was nearby when the alleged assault took place, and that the statement shows a disregard and disdain for state law, according to the report.
“This will be brought out and made crystal clear in the legal process that will, unfortunately, follow at unnecessary cost and expense to all involved,” Kaufman said.
The suspension was criticized by firefighters, their families and other borough residents at Monday night’s council meeting, prompting many to go online and create a Facebook page called, “Leonians Who Appreciate Their First Responders and Who VOTE,” according to the report.
“It was completely an overreaction,” said Gabby Slaughter, a Leonia resident. “They literally can’t drive a block to fight a fire.”
Fire departments in neighboring towns have agreed to cover Leonia while the borough’s department his shut down, according to the report.