Wetdown gone bad. Sea Bright, New Jersey firefighters in court for assault.

Previous discussions of wetdowns here, here, & here.

See other wetdowns from homer218 on YouTube

In the summer of 2009 STATter911.com readers had a very lively discussion over the issue of fire department wetdowns (see the links above). As you can imagine, some readers thought they are an important part of the fire department and the community. Others saw the ceremonies and celebrations as potential liabilities for departments.

The video above is from a wetdown at New Jersey's Sea Bright Fire Department on October 9 of last year. It was shot by homer218 on YouTube who attends a lot of wetdowns. Reporter Dustin Racioppi at redbrankgreen.com reports an incident that stemmed from this event (apparently not seen on the video) now has three firefighters scheduled to be in court today. Racioppi identifies them as Steven and Peter Lang IV, who are brothers, and Justin Hughes.

Both Langs were scheduled to move up in rank within the department, but those promotions (Steven to second lieutenant and Peter to assistant chief) have been held up because of the pending charges.

Here's more  from redbankgreen.com:

According to court documents, the brothers assaulted firefighter Justin Hughes, who was injured in the attack and has yet to return to active duty.

According to police records, the Lang brothers committed an “act of simple assault upon Justin Hughes with the purpose to cause bodily injury” on the evening of the wet-down.

Peter Lang IV, 33, of Ocean Avenue, grabbed and choked Hughes to the ground, and kicked him in the abdomen, according to the police report. Steven Lang, 25, of Sandpiper Lane, pushed Hughes, of Ocean Avenue, twice and put him in a headlock, the complaint says.

Steven Lang, on the same day as the incident, was named as a complaining witness against Hughes, 28, who was issued a summons with harassment, disorderly conduct, badmouthing and offensive language, according to court records.