Jamaican-born NYPD chief faces sexual harassment in lawsuit

Assistant Chief Ruel Stephenson, the highest-ranking Jamaican officer in the New York Police Department (NYPD), is facing a lawsuit alleging sexual harassment and retaliation from a female subordinate.

The lawsuit, filed last Friday in Manhattan Supreme Court, accuses Stephenson of targeting Lt. Mariela Matos-Leo, a 19-year NYPD veteran, after she rejected his advances.

Matos-Leo, who is stationed at the 24th Precinct—housed in the same building as Manhattan North, which Stephenson commands—claims the alleged harassment began in 2022. She alleges that after she rebuffed Stephenson, he sought to damage her career, publicly belittling her work and attempting to derail her professional progress.

According to the lawsuit, Stephenson told Matos-Leo in a May 2023 meeting that if he had the authority, he would fire her due to her “mediocre” work. She further alleges that his retaliatory actions resulted in lower earnings compared to her male counterparts, costing her as much as $1.7 million in lost pension benefits.

One of the most striking claims in the lawsuit centers around a precinct holiday party held on Dec. 13, 2023, at the Glen Island Harbor Club in New Rochelle. Matos-Leo asserts that Stephenson aggressively encouraged her to attend the event, where he organized a $700 “best dressed” contest—exclusively for female subordinates. She opted not to go, stating in court documents that his persistent invitations made her feel as though she was being pursued as a “conquest.”