New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin has filed criminal charges against the mayor of Clark, Salvator Bonaccorso, after an investigation into alleged racial slurs made by the mayor. It is alleged that Bonaccorso, 63, operated his landscaping and illegal tank removal business out of his township office while acting in his official capacity as mayor. The mayor is also accused of witness tampering and falsifying records, including using an engineer’s name, license number, and forged signature on permit applications submitted to municipalities for tank removals.

When CBS New York reached out to Clark Township for a comment on the charges against their mayor, a spokesperson had no comment. Efforts to obtain a comment at Bonaccorso’s residence were unsuccessful. A Clark resident stated that if anyone is found guilty of doing illegal things, they should resign from their position. Another resident commented that despite the allegations made against Bonaccorso, he had improved Clark as compared to the previous mayor. However, these comments were made before the charges were announced.

Another investigation into allegations of racism and misconduct within the police department in New Jersey led to a 43-page report that claimed racially-motivated arrests as well as a failure to investigate allegations of misconduct by police officials. The report revealed that Black individuals were arrested at a disproportionate rate due to racial bias among officers. Records obtained by the attorney general’s office were insufficient to charge police officials with criminal charges, and therefore the police department is now under county supervision.

Christine Sloan is an Emmy Award-winning reporter who covers New Jersey for CBS 2 New York. She rejoined the station in January 2023 after previously working at CBS 2 New York from 2004 to 2016.