Authorities are reportedly investigating after an off-duty Paterson police officer was captured on video pointing his gun at several men and kicking one down on the ground as he searches for the person who'd stabbed his son earlier that night.

An off duty Paterson police officer was seen in a video chasing down men, pointing his gun and kicking one after his son was stabbed earlier the same night.
An off duty Paterson police officer was seen in a video chasing down men, pointing his gun and kicking one after his son was stabbed earlier the same night.
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Two videos of the incident are available online — one captured via surveillance camera at a Main Street business, and one recorded on a mobile phone. The mobile phone video gives an up-close account of the incident but also includes profane language and has not been included here — it can instead be seen on YouTube.

NorthJersey.com reports authorities are aware of the videos and the Paterson Police Department's internal affairs division is compiling reports on the incident. The case is being turned over to the Passaic County Prosecutor's Office, according to the report.

It quotes City Police Director Jerry Speziale saying no complainant has come forward so far and authorities don't want to jump to conclusions. Speziale did not name the officer, though NorthJersey.com reports he has been on the force since 2002.  It also cites police saying the officer's 20-year-old son had been stabbed in the left shoulder during a large brawl on Michigan Avenue after midnight on Sept. 24, but no one has yet been arrested in that incident.

At one point in the videos, the officer approaches a group of young men and knocks one to the ground. He shouts several times at the crowd "Who is it?" — apparently asking if a man on the ground is the person who stabbed his son. There's frequent, overlapping yelling between the officer and people in the crowd. He tells the person on the ground to stay put, and that he'll be taken to the detective bureau.

The officer again tells the person on the ground to stay put, and  breaks off, running down Main Street. The person recording the video follows, telling the officer, "You going to jail — you didn't show no badge."

"Ah, shut up," the officer replies as he runs, his gun pointed downward.

The person recording keeps yelling to someone whose name sounds like "Jada:" "He chasing you, Jada! Yo, get the car! Get the car! Get the car! Yo get the car, he got a gun! Yo, that's my boy, what's wrong with you, man? That's my boy, he got nothing to do with this."

The last moments are hectic, with more screaming, but the officer appears to be holding another person with one arm.

New Jersey 101.5 has left messages with Paterson police and is awaiting a response. The Passaic County Prosecutor's Office declined comment.

Louis C. Hochman is digital managing editor for NJ1015.com. Reach him at louis.hochman@townsquaremedia.com or on Twitter @LouisCHochman.

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