Lane Schlesinger was supposed to serve and protect. Instead, he lied, endangered lives, and helped erase a father—then retired with a pension. The state helped him get away with it.

Would you feel safe in a town where a police officer can storm into a hospital’s COVID-19 unit, refuse to wear a mask, ignore nurses and doctors, shout at staff, and then walk away without a single consequence?

Welcome to New Rochelle, New York—where former police officer Lane Schlesinger built a career on misconduct, insubordination, and public endangerment. Instead of being held accountable, Schlesinger was quietly allowed to retire with a taxpayer-funded pension, despite a pattern of documented abuse, internal affairs violations, and evidence suppression that spanned over a decade.

A Pattern of Misconduct—Buried and Whitewashed

Internal records and FOIL disclosures show that Schlesinger:

• Failed to report traffic stops and use of force
• Ignored body-worn camera (BWC) policies
• Engaged in disrespectful, politically charged confrontations with civilians
• Lied on official reports
• Was the subject of multiple sustained civilian complaints and internal reviews

In December 2022, New Rochelle PD stripped Schlesinger of all court and public-facing duties due to his unprofessional and hostile behavior. But instead of facing real consequences, he was allowed to retire in 2024—with a pension totaling over $91,000 per year.

The COVID Incident That Should Have Ended His Career

In August 2021, Schlesinger forcibly entered North Shore University Hospital’s restricted ICU area—during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to security reports and multiple witnesses, he refused to wear a mask and said to nurses:

“I don’t care.”

He disrupted a ventilator unit, endangered staff and patients, and prompted a 911 call. Still, there were no charges. No discipline. Just silence from the department and the DA.

Internal Affairs Raised Red Flags—But No One Acted

Lt. Robert Wenzler documented multiple misconduct referrals to the New York Attorney General’s Law Enforcement Misconduct Investigative Office beginning in 2021. By June 2022, Schlesinger had already triggered five referrals under Executive Law § 75 standards.

But when the AG’s long-delayed “pattern misconduct” report finally emerged on May 24, 2024, two major 2023 incidents—also referred to the AG—were missing.

The omissions were not just careless. They were strategic whitewash.

The Falsified Arrest That Changed a Father’s Life

Perhaps the most egregious of Schlesinger’s actions was his role in the wrongful arrest of Marc Fishman, a disabled father visiting his autistic son under court-ordered supervised visitation in December 2018.

Marc was never indicted by a grand jury. Contrary to what police and court records may suggest, no sealed indictment exists. The charge was filed as a misdemeanor information, signed and affirmed as true by Lane Schlesinger himself.

In that information, Schlesinger falsely claimed that Marc had gone to his ex-wife’s property, when in fact he was merely near it, in compliance with court orders and accompanied by a court-appointed supervisor.

That supervisor was fully documented in both audio and video recordings that were withheld from the original court case. Schlesinger himself admitted, in a later federal civil deposition, that he had reviewed the video and audio, which directly contradicts his sworn statement.

“No intent, no crime,” Schlesinger himself said three times in the footage he reviewed.

Instead of acknowledging this misconduct, the case proceeded in criminal court until the police misconduct became known. At that point, the case was moved out of the Integrated Domestic Violence (IDV) court and back into Family Court—a tacit but unspoken admission that the foundation of the charges was compromised. Still, Marc has never received justice.

Prosecutors Knew—And Did Nothing

Even after AG Letitia James’ office designated Schlesinger as a “pattern misconduct officer”, the Westchester DA’s office—under Mimi Rocah—refused to vacate Fishman’s wrongful conviction.

The case against Marc included:

• Falsified police reports
• Withheld exculpatory video
• A court-acknowledged supervisor whose presence invalidated the arrest
• A misdemeanor charge fabricated without grand jury review

Despite all of this, Marc Fishman remains subject to a permanent order of protection and active bench warrants, due solely to a now-debunked police narrative.

Two Systems of Justice

While Lane Schlesinger lives freely—pension intact, record clean—Marc Fishman is still fighting to clear his name.

Marc is a disabled father.
He followed a court order.
He was accompanied by a court-appointed supervisor.
He committed no crime.

Yet the New Rochelle PD, the Westchester DA, and now even the NY Attorney General’s office have helped preserve a falsified narrative while shielding a career abuser from consequences.

Call to Action

• Demand the full public release of Schlesinger’s personnel and AG files
• Call on AG Letitia James and DA Mimi Rocah to vacate the Fishman conviction and investigate prosecutorial misconduct
• Pass legislation revoking pensions for officers found to have engaged in sustained pattern misconduct
• Protect families and disabled parents from legal retaliation when they challenge false police narratives

Final Word

You cannot rebuild public trust when predators are protected. The badge is supposed to represent service and integrity—not immunity and silence.

New Rochelle didn’t just protect a bad cop.

They rewarded him—and destroyed an innocent father to do it.

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