A new bombshell lawsuit filed in New Jersey Superior Court in Ocean Count accuses Lakewood police of fabricating an outrageous tale to justify the arrest of a local man — including claims that he somehow chewed and swallowed a bag of drugs while handcuffed in the back of a squad car — despite zero evidence ever being found.
The suit, brought by Louis Lane resident David Lantigua, recounts a humiliating September 2022 traffic stop where officers searched him and his car multiple times, forced him into a body cavity search at a hospital, and still came up empty. Nevertheless, Lakewood Patrolman Joseph Mandelbaum allegedly insisted that Lantigua ingested a bag of narcotics during the ride to headquarters — a claim the lawsuit calls “a complete fabrication” to justify charges that never should have been filed.
The charges, which carried prison time, eventually fell apart when prosecutors couldn’t produce the required discovery. Lantigua says he lost work, missed medical appointments for his child, and endured lasting trauma from the ordeal.
But the lawsuit doesn’t just point the finger at Mandelbaum. It also names Officers Mark Gibson, Joseph Dellavella, James Mahecha, Daniel R. Umlauf, Adam Brian Bylsma, Kenneth M. Schaal, and Connor M. Woods.
Officer James Mahecha is already facing a separate federal lawsuit for another false arrest — as previously reported here by FAANews. Mahecha was just deposed on that pending case.
And in a major new revelation, the complaint lists an unidentified “Sergeant Badge #320” — who FAANews has now confirmed to be Officer Matthew McKee.
McKee himself is no stranger to controversy. As previously reported here on FAA News, just two months ago, the Lakewood Police Department quietly settled two lawsuits tied to a three-car crash McKee caused while driving a department vehicle in a non-emergency situation. Astonishingly, the police report stated McKee told investigators he “didn’t remember how the crash occurred.” Victims Jain and Pickell both alleged “serious and permanent damages” from the wreck, and the department rushed to settle the cases just before trial.
Between the fabricated drug-ingestion tale, the missing bodycam footage, and the repeat appearances of scandal-plagued officers, critics say this latest case paints a disturbing picture of accountability inside the Lakewood Police Department.
“This wasn’t policing — it was perjury with a badge,” the complaint filed by Newark Attorneys Brooke M. Barnett and Morgan Mahler, Esq. charges.
The lawsuit seeks compensatory and punitive damages for false arrest, malicious prosecution, unlawful search and seizure, conspiracy, and destruction of evidence.
For Lantigua, the bottom line is simple: “I was innocent. They knew it. And they ruined my life anyway.”
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