A lawsuit filed almost 3,000 miles away has a New Jersey lawmaker seeing red.

Red light camera at Route 1 and Bakers Basin in Lawrence
Red light camera at Route 1 and Bakers Basin in Lawrence (Dan Alexander, Townsquare Media NJ)
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The legal action brought by a former top salesman at "Redflex" alleges the red light camera company bribed local officials in over a dozen states in order to secure contracts. New Jersey is named as one of those states.

Assemblyman Declan O'Scanlon (R-Red Bank) has been a longtime opponent of the red light cameras, and he had plenty to say about the legal action taking place in Arizona.

"I've been saying this for years now," O'Scanlon said. "The companies are not about safety or improving traffic, they are about the almighty dollar and they will stop at nothing to get it. We can't trust anything they say as they work to game the political system to ensure their lucrative public contracts are safe."

According to O'Scanlon, the comments made in legal documents by Aaron Rosenberg, a former red light camera company top executive, reveal a pattern of corruption and abuse that brings the entire program into question.

Rosenberg's lawsuit states that during his tenure Redflex "bestowed gifts and bribes on municipal officials in dozens of municipalities within, but not limited to the following states: California, Washington, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Colorado, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Florida, New Jersey, Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia."

"Of course, when the basic premise of your business model is based on a lie -- that red light cameras provide any public benefit -- then I guess it shouldn't come as a surprise that the companies would feel any compunction to be honorable at any level," O'Scanlon said.

In an emailed response to our request for comment, a Redflex spokesperson wrote:

Redflex Traffic Systems denies the allegations in the counterclaim which are from Aaron Rosenberg, a former executive vice president, terminated for violating company policies and procedures. Redflex will aggressively defend itself against the allegations as well as prosecute its claims against the former executive. We are committed to transparency and honesty in our business practices. Our focus continues to be on providing best in class customer service and technology to our clients to make their communities safer."

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