New Jersey

N.J. mayor ‘weaponized’ internal affairs against police chief, lawsuit says

Published

1 year ago

October 31, 2024

N.J. mayor ‘weaponized’ internal affairs against police chief, lawsuit says

A police chief suspended from his duties in a Middlesex County borough filed a lawsuit Wednesday against the mayor and other officials, alleging harassment, retaliation, and violations of his rights.

Philip Corbisiero, the police chief of Spotswood, claims in court papers that Mayor Jacqueline Palmer, who took office in January 2021, has a pattern of interfering in police department matters.

The complaint states Palmer’s administration “weaponized” internal affairs procedures, creating a work environment where certain officers were reportedly penalized or pressured based on Palmer’s personal views.

Palmer and the attorneys representing the borough did not immediately respond to requests for comment made by phone and email.

The complaint, filed in state Superior Court in Middlesex County, seeks monetary damages, reinstatement and an end to what Corbisiero claims is a hostile work environment stemming from Palmer’s alleged interference with police department operations.

Corbisiero has served in the Spotswood Police Department since 1994 and became chief in April 2022.

He was suspended with pay in March after he was accused of incompetence and insubordination. A judge later dismissed the charges, according to mycentraljersey.com.

Corbisiero is asking for relief under the New Jersey Conscientious Employee Protection Act and the state’s Civil Rights Act. The chief seeks compensatory damages, reimbursement of legal fees, and other financial relief, including emotional distress damages.

Although no exact amount is specified, Corbisiero’s legal team claims the harassment and retaliation have severely impacted his mental and professional well-being.

Corbisiero claims Palmer has sought access to department facilities, security systems, and personnel files and has attempted to control departmental policy and officer promotions.

The suit details Palmer’s involvement in daily department operations, allegedly demanding access to police vehicles, radio frequencies, and confidential disciplinary records, among other resources typically reserved for law enforcement personnel.

The complaint also describes incidents involving Palmer’s alleged attempts to place favored officers in higher-ranking roles while circumventing standard promotion protocols.

Corbisiero claims these actions violated his statutory authority as chief under New Jersey law and created a work atmosphere where officers feared repercussions from Palmer.

Alleging that his objections to these actions were met with further retaliation, Corbisiero states he was unlawfully suspended and that his job responsibilities were reallocated to other personnel, which he contends has undermined his position.

He also claims that Palmer’s administration has not acted on his prior complaints and whistleblowing reports about alleged misconduct and abuse of authority by borough officials.

Corbisiero previously filed a Notice of Tort Claim in January, but the borough did not provide him relief, according to his lawsuit.

Corbisiero’s lawsuit comes after a series of legal disputes involving Spotswood officials, including other employees who have reportedly filed complaints against the borough in recent years.

The Spotswood Police Department employs about 23 to 25 sworn officers and serves this borough of around 8,000 residents.

Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Source link

Click to comment

New Jersey

South Amboy police officers deliver baby. This week in Central Jersey history, Dec. 1-7

Published

57 minutes ago

November 30, 2025

Press Room

South Amboy police officers deliver baby. This week in Central Jersey history, Dec. 1-7

It was a first for South Amboy police Sgt. David Kales and patrolmen Mark Lewis and Paul Noble on Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2000 when they helped deliver a baby.

Less than two minutes after arriving at a Washington Avenue home on the report of a woman in labor, Jeriel was born to Jennifer Llibre, with an assist by the three city cops.

Here’s a look at events that happened in Central Jersey from five, 10, 25, 50 and 100 years ago this week.

Five years ago

Dec. 3, 2020: It was reported Ray Cipperly Field at Middlesex County Vocational and Technical Schools’ East Brunswick campus had been named the 2020 Schools and Parks Baseball Field of the Year by the Sports Turf Managers Association, a nonprofit professional organization for men and women who manage sports fields worldwide.

Dec. 4: In a statement, it was announced Gov. Phil Murphy, Senate President Stephen Sweeney, Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin and bill sponsors Sen. Nick Scutari and Assemblywoman Annette Quijano had reached a deal on bills that would establish a framework for a legal weed industry, setting up a key vote in the coming weeks.

Dec. 4: Six NJ hospitals ― Hackensack University Medical Center, Morristown Medical Center, University Hospital in Newark, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center in Atlantic City and Cooper University Hospital in Camden ― were selected to receive the first COVID-19 vaccines, it was reported.

Dec. 4: It was reported Juan Hector Padilla, 29, of Bound Brook, was indicted in connection with a seven-alarm fire that damaged two apartment buildings under construction on West Main Street in Bound Brook in January 2020.

Dec. 7: Hillsborough had become a “Stigma-Free Community,” a campaign, an initiative of the Somerset County Department of Human Services, to raise awareness of the importance of mental health and create an environment where people feel free to seek support without fear of being stigmatized, it was reported.

Dec. 7: State officials said an unidentified resident at the Menlo Park veterans home died over the weekend from COVID-19 ― the first death at one of the state-run veterans homes in 180 days.

Dec. 7: It was reported celebrity chef David Burke would open Orchard Park, his fourth restaurant to open during the pandemic, on Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2020, at the Chateau Grande Hotel in East Brunswick.

10 years ago

Dec. 2, 2015: Appearing on ABC News’ “Good Morning America,” Gov. Chris Christie defended his hard-line opposition to relocating Syrian refugees to NJ and said former Gov. Thomas Kean ― his latest critic on the issue ― was all wrong.

Dec. 3: A day after 14 people were killed in a mass shooting in California, lawmakers failed to override Gov. Chris Christie’s veto of a gun-control bill by just three votes.

Dec. 3: The Westfield High School football team beat Bridgewater-Raritan, 10-7, in a sectional final at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford.

Dec. 5: George Clinton and the Parliament Funkadelic with TL Shider, Garden State Line, Midnight Mosaic and Underground Logic, performed at Starland Ballroom in Sayreville.

2000

Dec. 2, 2000: About 70 supporters of Texas Gov. George W. Bush rallied outside the Somerset County Courthouse in Somerville on behalf of his claim to the presidency.

Dec. 3: Two divorcing parents ― Jim Price of Raritan Borough and Jennifer Price of Clinton ― who were battling over the circumcision of their 3-year-old son, would appear on Monday, Dec. 4, 2000, in Superior Court in Somerville for a hearing ordered by the Supreme Court to determine whether the surgery should go forward, it was reported.

Dec. 6: In women’s college basketball, Rutgers University beat Virginia Tech, 61-53.

Dec. 7: It was reported Dave Keyes and his band, winners of the W.C. Handy National Blues Talent Search, would perform at Old Bay Restaurant in New Brunswick.

1975

Dec. 2, 1975: U.S. District Court Judge Frederick B. Lacey, sitting in Newark, issued the go-ahead for the planned public deer hunt scheduled for the next week in the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in Passaic Township.

Dec. 3: Many milk drivers continued on a “business as usual” basis in Middlesex and Somerset counties, in spite of a strike of 880 union drivers.

Dec. 4: Several homes in South Amboy were showered with kerosene after a United Airlines jet with 120 passengers on board jettisoned 40,000 gallons of fuel when an engine caught fire. The plane returned to Newark International Airport safely, with no injuries.

Dec. 5: In Elizabeth, Edward Nolan and Robert Madurski, defendants in a case involving the theft of $4 million worth of home heating oil from the Exxon Bayway Refinery in Linden, received suspended prison sentences and were fined $1,000 each.

Dec. 5-7: “Bye Bye Birdie” was presented at Middlesex County College Performing Arts Theater in Edison.

Dec. 6: In college basketball, Phil Sellers scored 36 points and Mike Dabney added 21 as Rutgers beat Seton Hall’s Pirates, 119-93, at Rutgers Gym in New Brunswick, setting a Rutgers Gym record for most points by one team.

1925

Dec. 2, 1925: In basketball, St. Peter’s Lyceum beat the Maroon and Gray quintet of South River, 36-27.

Dec. 2-3: The movie, “Thunder Mountain,” a dramatic story of the Blue Ridge Mountains, was shown at Reade’s Strand Theatre in Perth Amboy.

Dec. 4-5: The movie, “The Half Way Girl,” starring Doris Kenyon and Lloyd Hughes, was shown at Reade’s Strand Theatre in Perth Amboy.

Dec. 6: Fire of an unknown origin started in the south wing of Winants Hall on the Queens Campus of Rutgers University in New Brunswick, for the second time within a month. Students helped firemen fight the fire.

Dec. 6: The New Brunswick Soccer Club won the first half championship in the Capital City Soccer League at Buccleuch Park in New Brunswick by beating the Highlanders of Trenton, 3-1.

Brad Wadlow is a staff writer for MyCentralJersey.com

Source link

New Jersey

Mom of NJ teen killed outside NYC ax-throwing bar claims booze, lax security led to her son’s death

Published

19 hours ago

November 29, 2025

Press Room

Mom of NJ teen killed outside NYC ax-throwing bar claims booze, lax security led to her son’s death

Abundant booze and lax security set the stage for the fatal 2023 stabbing of a New Jersey high school football player outside an NYC ax-throwing bar, his mother contended in new court papers.

Rocco Rodden, 17, was knifed in the heart on Nov. 23, 2023 outside Live Axe in TriBeCa by Long Islander Gianluca Bordone, who admitted to the killing in court but was acquitted of manslaughter and assault charges in the case.

Rodden’s mother Angelina claimed Live Axe, security company Burns Consulting and others, including bartenders, promoters and a limousine company, set up a perfect storm the night her son was slain.

The companies “failed to provide wristbands to people old enough to drink” and “were required to check the identification documents of all individuals entering the venue, but failed to do so,” she said in her Nov. 21 Manhattan Supreme Court papers, which also name Bordone as a defendant.

The poor security also allowed Bordone, who was 19 at the time of the attack, to bring a pocket knife to the Lafayette Street bar, she alleged.

Bordone, of Oyster Bay, claimed he feared for his life as a group that included the victim chased him down the street and began beating him.

“I was afraid that they would get me to the floor, stomp me, kill me, hit me with the bottle that I had seen before,” he said on the witness stand, according to Newsday.

Bordone also allegedly stabbed Rodden’s older brother, Anthony, outside the bar — where all three were attending a private party, authorities had said.

“It is quite possible that Bordone could have killed Anthony Rodden due to his tortious conduct,” the mother said in the lawsuit, which seeks unspecified damages.

The promotors, security and others hired to work the event also failed to call authorities after the stabbing, she claimed.

Neither Bordone, nor Live Axe owner Zac Segal and promoter Ian Magid, who are each named in the lawsuit, could be reached for comment. A lawyer for security company Burns Consulting denied any wrongdoing.

“Many horrible tragedies do not result in legal liability and this is one of them,” said Burns Consulting attorney Kenneth Belkin. “My heart goes out to the family of Mr. Rodden for their loss, but this is a frivolous lawsuit against my client.

Source link

New Jersey

LIVE UPDATES: Devils 2, Sabres 0 | New Jersey Devils

Published

2 days ago

November 28, 2025

Press Room

LIVE UPDATES: Devils 2, Sabres 0 | New Jersey Devils

NewJerseyDevils.com is the official web site of the New Jersey Devils, a member team of the National Hockey League (“NHL”). NHL, the NHL Shield, the word mark and image of the Stanley Cup and NHL Conference logos are registered trademarks of the National Hockey League. All NHL logos and marks and NHL team logos and marks as well as all other proprietary materials depicted herein are the property of the NHL and the respective NHL teams and may not be reproduced without the prior written consent of NHL Enterprises, L.P. Copyright © 1999-2025 New Jersey Devils and the National Hockey League. All Rights Reserved.

Source link