Why is Newark investigating NJ cop for doing this on camera?

NEWARK — A city police officer who assisted Rutgers police during the shutdown of a pro-Palestinian encampment is the subject of a disciplinary investigation after flexing his muscles on camera.

Rutgers-Newark ordered the encampment to be broken down on Sunday after a month. Participants from the Newark Solidarity Coalition packed up their belongings as Rutgers police watched and did not make any arrests.

The group blamed Newark Mayor Ras Baraka for sending police to block streets, an allegation denied by Baraka.  The Democratic candidate for governor said that a crowd developed around two Rutgers officers after they chased and detained a suspect. Newark police only helped university officers with crowd control, according to Baraka.

The protesters took video of Newark police and posted two clips on their social media platforms. One clip on their Instagram account had no audio and much of the screen was taken up with a message accusing Baraka of lying about why Newark police were present.

The same video was posted with audio on their X account. The woman who took the video gives a friendly hello to some of the officers. As she tells officers she has the right to record them, another officer says "yes you are" and flexes his arms.

A few seconds later, the woman asks to "see them gains" as he flexes again.

The video of the flexing cop has been used by Palestine activists to criticize Baraka and city police.

ALSO READ: Palestine protesters give up after messy month in Newark

Flexing perceived as a potential threat

Newark Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 12 president Jeff Weber told Townsquare Media the encounter was innocent.

"The young lady that was recording, she didn't say anything hateful towards him, did not use foul language, did not call him names. He said that she did not say anything nasty to him, she did not use foul language," Weber said. "It was basically a comment about her seeing his gains, which referred to him being in physical, good shape."

Weber said that because the video was posted on social media it could be perceived that he may have been making a threat.

"Not verbally threatening them but that could be perceived as a threatening powerful move type thing, something along those lines," Weber said. "So the city just has to look into it and make sure nothing like that happened which when this investigation is done they'll clearly see that it was just something very innocent."

Newark police on Monday morning did not respond to our request for more information.