{"active":true,"first_name":"Joseph","last_name":"Zerella","race":"White","gender":"Male","rank":"DTS","command":{"command":"ESS 07","assignment_date":"2024-03-21","id":"ESS7"},"shield_no":1972,"taxid":"961474","complaint_ids":[202303494,202103954,202100992,202004159,202003663,201805540],"command_history":[{"command":"ESU","id":"83"},{"command":"PBBN","id":"PBBN"},{"command":"PBBN SU PST"},{"command":"075 PCT","id":"75pct"},{"command":"ESS 08","id":"ESS8"}],"appt_date":"2016-01-06","middle_initial":"T","shield_no_history":[8731],"lawsuits":[{"name":"Cadet, Maurin vs City of Ny, et al.","start_date":"2022-07-05","disposition_date":"2025-02-26","payout_amount":30000,"disposition":"Settlement","docket":"518852/2022","court":"Supreme Court - Kings","summary":"On January 1, 2021, at approximately 3:00 a.m., Plaintiff Maurin Cadet was present in the vicinity of 796 Putnam Avenue in Kings County, when Defendant NYPD Police Officers unlawfully assaulted Plaintiff. Defendant Officer, whose identity is not known, approached Plaintiff and without warning or reason, punched Plaintiff in the face. Defendant Officers threw Plaintiff onto the ground, handcuffed him, brought him to a police vehicle and transported him to the 75th Precinct. Plaintiff requested medical attention but was denied, and spent approximately 24 hours in custody at Central Booking. Defendant Police Officers provided the Kings County District Attorney's Office with false, misleading or incomplete information that Plaintiff committed a crime.\n\nPlaintiff brings claims of: unlawful stop, question and search, unlawful seizure and deprivation of liberty, false imprisonment, excessive force, assault, battery, negligent infliction of emotional distress, negligent hiring, retention, training and supervision, failure to intervene, denial of right to a fair trial, malicious prosecution, deliberate indifference to medical needs, and violation of Article I Section 12 of the New York State Constitution.","documents":[{"url":"https://iapps.courts.state.ny.us/nyscef/ViewDocument?docIndex=DHSDvXzQq//Wf0VjQLFkkA==","type":"complaint"}]},{"name":"Chowdhury, Shaiful vs City of Ny, et al.","start_date":"2021-03-23","disposition_date":"2026-01-05","payout_amount":0,"disposition":"Zero Disposition","docket":"21CV00962","court":"U.S. District Court - Eastern District NY","summary":"On February 23, 2020, Plaintiff Shaiful Chowdhury called the police in response to a robbery in an apartment complex he owned. Defendants Pliwiak, Zerella, Santana, Tasevoli, Mastorardi, Calhoun, Elliot, McSherry, Lt. Cain, and John Does #1-5 conducted a search and investigated in response to the robbery. Throughout the search, Defendants found a quantity of Marijuana in the third-floor apartment. Plaintiff was the owner of the property, but the Marijuana was discovered in an apartment that had recently been rented and occupied by an unrelated tenant. Despite Plaintiff's limited access to the apartment, defendants, including but not limited to Detectives Santana, Tasevoli, and Mastorardi, made flagrantly racist and discriminatory remarks to Plaintiff in their line of questioning. Said Defendants then attempted to coerce Plaintiff into signing a search warrant. One Defendant Officer then tried to physically intimate and coerce Plaintiff into signing the warrant, and upon Plaintiff's second refusal, the ranking defendant officer instructed Defendant PO Pliwiak to handcuff and arrest Plaintiff. Plaintiff was held for 55 hours at the Precinct and, as a result of his charges, lost his job and his FINRA (Financial Industry Regulatory Authority) permit.","documents":[{"url":"https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nyed.460145/gov.uscourts.nyed.460145.25.0.pdf","type":"complaint"}],"url":"https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/59674441/chowdhury-v-the-city-of-new-york/"},{"name":"Blake-Mathews, Jordan K., vs City of New York, et al.","start_date":"2020-12-22","disposition_date":"2025-01-14","payout_amount":50000,"disposition":"Settlement","docket":"524739/2020","court":"Supreme Court - Kings","officer_name":"Zerella, Joseph T.","summary":"On January 22, 2020, Plaintiff was lawfully present when he was approached by officer Joseph Zerella and certain unnamed officers. The officers tackled him to the ground, jumped on him, beat him, pushed him into the pavement, and forcefully handcuffed him. Plaintiff was taken to the 7th Precinct, and later the hospital due to his injuries.","documents":[{"url":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240916174355/https://iapps.courts.state.ny.us/nyscef/ViewDocument?docIndex=deq5wxpcP3J58rakOTroQA==","type":"complaint"}]},{"name":"D., J. By M/n/g Lawson, Tamara vs City of New York, et al.","start_date":"2020-07-02","payout_amount":0,"disposition":"","docket":"511416/2020","court":"Supreme Court - Kings","officer_name":"Zerella, Joseph T.","summary":"On April 15, 2018, at or around 8:00 a.m., the minor PLAINTIFF was lawfully within the vicinity of 516 Bristol Street. PLAINTIFF was in the residence with his grandmother and his brother. Defendants, Including EISERT and DOEs, unlawfully entered and searched the residence including PLAINTIFF’S room. Defendants recovered no contraband from PLAINTIFF or the residence. Defendants had no probable cause to believe that PLAINTIFF had committed any crimes or offenses, defendants placed PLAINTIFF into handcuffs and under arrest. PLAINTIFF was subsequently transported to the police precinct where he was interrogated, photographed, and fingerprinted. Defendants sent false allegations to the  Kings County Family Court Prosecutors. \n\nThe plaintiff remained at the police precinct for an extended period of time before being taken to Horizon Juvenile Center in the Bronx, where he was later released to his mother and ordered to appear in Family Court.  PLAINTIFF appeared in court as required. On August 23, 2018, PLAINTIFF was notified that all charges would be dropped.","documents":[{"url":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240803175039/https://iapps.courts.state.ny.us/nyscef/ViewDocument?docIndex=al2Q8iDlgzZRImKadit4Yw==","type":"complaint"}]}],"discipline":[{"disposition_date":"2023-06-22","case_no":"2022-27352","penalty":"Training","recommendation":"No disciplinary action","allegations":[{"desc":"Made false statements during a civilian complaint review board interview."},{"desc":"Wrongfully questioned an individual known to the Department."}]}],"documents":[{"url":"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/21058860-zerella-961474-02-16-21","type":"brady-giglio"}],"image":"https://www.50-a.org/images/officer/GH3T-joseph-zerella.jpg","payroll":{"salary":"109352","regular":"108510","overtime":"35216","other":"25017","total":"168743"},"id":"GH3T","url":"https://www.50-a.org/officer/GH3T"}