Asian American sues Plainfield deputy fire chief over alleged racist COVID-19 comments

Nick Muscavage PLAINFIELD ࢀ" A Fanwood man is suing a Plainfield Fire Department official and the city over claims he was the victim of discrimination because of comments made to him about COVID-19. Timothy Burkhard, who is Asian American, filed a lawsuit against Plainfield and Deputy Fire Chief Pietro Martino, after Martino made discriminatory comments about Burkhard’s ethnicity and the coronavirus, according to the lawsuit. Burkhard, who was hired as a firefighter at the Plainfield Fire Department in July 2018, filed his lawsuit in Union County Superior Court in July. The case was dismissed but was later reinstated by Union…