Former N.J. Police Cadet Claims He Went Through 'Torture' in Academy Training That 'Ruined His Life': Lawsuit
The cadet claimed he was not told in advance "that their ability to consume liquids and nourishment would be severely restricted," according to the complaint
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Bergan County Police Academy in New JerseyA former New Jersey police cadet alleges that the Bergen County Police Academy's training program led him to be hospitalized in 2023 and left him with extensive injuries.
Nicholas Trapani filed the lawsuit on Dec. 31, 2024, in New Jersey Superior Court, according to a complaint obtained by PEOPLE. According to the document, after graduating from community college in 2023, Trapani was provisionally hired by the City of Hackensack to become a police officer and was sent to the Bergen County Police Academy (BCPA).
At the time, Trapani was 21, in "excellent physical health," and had already passed all his psychological, medical and physical exams ahead of the start of physical training, according to the complaint.
However, the complaint alleged that cadets were left "in the dark" about the specifics of the training and were not informed in advance that "their ability to consume liquids and nourishment would be severely restricted.”
Additionally, according to the complaint, cadets were required to perform specific tasks in order to eat. The complaint also added that the cadets would help each other through pull up drills because of their “overall severe fatigue.”
After training began, the weather was “excessively hot,” with temperatures reaching 90 degrees or higher, according to the complaint.
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On July 26, 2023, which was described in the complaint as a particularly hot day, Trapani allegedly "became extremely ill" and had to stop running due to “serious physical distress from dehydration and heat exhaustion.”
The complaint also alleged that none of the BCPA personnel "were certified" to be running boot camp, nor were they certificated "to perform medical aid.”
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According to the complaint, the academy personnel called the Hackensack Police Department, whose cruiser transported the cadet to a hospital.
Trapani spent three days in the hospital, and according to the complaint, he suffered from acute heat distress and rhabdomyolysis — a condition in which the muscles break down resulting in muscle death, per the Mayo Clinic. His injuries were allegedly so extensive that he was medically discharged from the academy on Aug. 7, 2023.
Following a year of physical therapy, medical providers assessed that Trapani is permanently disabled and will not likely be able to use his left arm “as it has no strength and he cannot use it in a meaningful way," according to the complaint.
NJ.com and NorthJersey.com earlier reported on the lawsuit.
The law firms of Lawrence H. Kleiner and Eric V. Kleiner, who represent Trapani, shared a news release with PEOPLE on Monday, Jan. 6.
“This was a form of depravity and torture that ultimately left Nicholas severely paralyzed for life causing unthinkable endless emotional and physical trauma," the release read in part. Trapani's lawyers also alleged that Trapani's injuries ended "his law enforcement career and ultimately it tragically has ruined his life.”
In emails to PEOPLE on Friday, Jan. 3, and Monday, Jan. 6, representatives for Bergen County and the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office said they cannot comment on pending litigation.
When reached by PEOPLE, the Bergen County Law & Public Safety Institute, which includes the police academy, deferred to a representative for Bergen County on Jan. 6 for comment. The Bergen County Sheriff’s Office has not immediately responded to PEOPLE’s Jan. 3 request for comment.
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