Anthony Villanueva, then 25, after leaving U.S. District Court in Trenton in an April 2019 file photo.Michael Mancuso | NJ Advance Med

The videos showing a now-fired Trenton police officer punching and tackling a man with his hands up and pepper-spraying another man in a locked jail cell don’t lie, but Anthony Villanueva contends they don’t tell the whole story.

In a rare interview with a former cop still facing criminal charges for alleged use of excessive force, NJ Advance Media spoke to Villanueva who said he stands by his actions and followed his training and New Jersey Attorney General’s guidelines on the use of force each time.

Note to readers: if you purchase something through one of our affiliate links we may earn a commission.

Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your California Privacy Rights (User Agreement updated 1/1/21. Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement updated 5/1/2021).

© 2022 Advance Local Media LLC. All rights reserved (About Us). The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local.

Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site.