Racist Cops Kept Asian-American Teen inside Freezing Van for 15 Hours Without Food & Water

A New Jersey teen who was locked inside a police van cage for 15 hours without access to food, water or a bathroom, has sued the Fort Lee Police Department, its chief and 19 police officers.

 Adam Kim, who was 17 at the time, was placed in the cage with four other young men, according to a civil complaint filed in U.S.

 District Court last month. Without a bathroom, the complaint says, the teens had to relieve themselves in front of each other. They also had to huddle together for warmth, as temperatures hovered below freezing and Kim was wearing just a T-shirt.

 Around midnight on March 25, 2011, Fort Lee police officers responded to noise complaints stemming from a house party that Kim was attending.

 The suit also alleges that the incident was racially charged. Many of the partygoers were Asian American and officers reportedly referred to the teens as "chinks" and made “vulgar remarks” about how the females were dressed the lawsuit states. Kim is Korean American.

 Officers also allegedly confiscated the teens’ cellphone and failed to read them their rights or tell them why they being arrested.

 The teens were freed about 15 hours later when a passerby noticed them and called the police.