A judge has ordered the immediate release of R’ Binyomin Kubani, a Beth Medrash Govoha avreich who had been held in Ocean County Jail after being arrested last week on suspicion of attempting to lure a teenager into his vehicle — a claim his legal team says is entirely unfounded and the result of a miscommunication.
Kubani was taken into custody by Lakewood police after a Hispanic teenager alleged that the avreich had tried to lure him into a car. But according to individuals familiar with the incident, Kubani — who speaks little to no English — was simply trying to hire a day laborer to clean his car, a common practice in the area.
Whether the accusation arose from a language barrier or a deeper misunderstanding remains unclear, but the teen flagged down a passing police officer, who then arrested Kubani without taking his statement, according to his attorney.
“I call on the authorities to thoroughly investigate this matter and take necessary steps to address any wrongdoing or systemic issues that may have contributed to this arrest,” said Yosef Jacobovitch, who is representing Kubani.
Jacobovitch also criticized the conduct of Lakewood Police Detective Charles Messer, claiming he refused to take Kubani’s version of events. “I immediately contacted the department to request they speak with my client,” Jacobovitch said. “Detective Messer responded, ‘I will not let him muddy the water with his lies.’”
Further legal proceedings are expected, but as of now, R’ Binyomin Kubani has returned home.
Reading the secular reports, the arrest wasn’t even based on a kid’s claim to have heard something – which itself should not be enough to put someone in jail – but it was based on nothing more than the Avrech waving his hands, which the kid says he “interpreted” to mean something inappropriate. Unbelievable that a man – with eight children, with no criminal record – should have been in jail for more than three days over such nonsense. The community is right to be up in arms. That is totally unacceptable. The arresting detective needs to be fired or demoted, and so does whoever approved this arrest.
ROBIN Your 100% On Target.
The way This guy was arrested can happen to anyone anywhere anytime!
This Frightening What do we do wear a bodcam always!
3 mexicans workers smiled and waved and some little kids today and continued smiling and looking once they left.
I was thinking to call the cops because you never know, maybe they had ill intentions. I’m being sarcastic of course showing the flip side of what happened last week
I guarantee if a yid said that a Mexican said something inappropriate to him. The Mexican cop interpreter would talk to him and respond to the Jew that he never meant that and said something else.
if someone is driving through a yiddish neighborhood and saying things that’s one thing, though i wouldn’t put it past the lakewood cops either, but random discussion about a work on the side of the road. HUh?