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“As far as I’m concerned, it’s a non-story,” Sacco said, moments before he had dinner Tuesday night at GP’s Restaurant in Guttenberg.
West New York Mayor Sal Vega was at the small neighborhood restaurant, as well, although neither said whether they’d planned a rendezvous.
“You wrote the story as you saw fit, based on your interpretation of the events,” Sacco told CLIFFVIEW PILOT‘s Publisher/Editor, after he was approached at his table.
Sacco, a public triple-dipper who also is a state Senator and vice-superintendent of the North Bergen school district, said there were inaccuracies in the story, but he wouldn’t cite one.
“If I didn’t call you back,” he said referring to unreturned phone calls and emails, “why would I talk to you now?”
“It’s passé,” Sacco said, dismissively. “Maybe if there’s another issue you want to talk about….”
Patrol Officer Michelle Bartoli was dispatched to the Durham Avenue home of NBHS Vice Principal Edward Somick — whose mother is dating Sacco — around midnight May 14, records show.
A short time earlier, Somick arrived home from the senior prom, found a car blocking his driveway and called the owner a racial epithet, witnesses told police.
Bartoli summoned backup more than once, at which point all available township units responded — in addition to two police cars from Fairview.
THE CLIFFVIEW PILOT INVESTIGATION:*Key figure emerges in case of disorderly school official linked to Sacco *Prosecutor to NB cops: Talk to us*Township spokesman’s answers raise questions*Cops ready to talk to investigators *Chief orders disorderly VP freed with no charges*Dispatches tell if school VP got special treatment*NBHS official not accused in neighborhood spat
As neighbors and several officers from both towns looked on, Sgt. Marco Rovelo ordered an apparently intoxicated and abusive Somick arrested, several witnesses told CLIFFVIEW PILOT. Somick was handcuffed and placed into a township police cruiser, where, they said, he began banging his head against the window.
Around 1 a.m., roughly 20 minutes after Somick had been taken into custody, the chief and his right-hand man, Capt. Robert Dowd, showed up at headquarters.
Galvin and Dowd, considered the chief’s heir apparent, are intensely loyal to Sacco, 64, the township’s mayor more than 20 years.
To this point, it’s unclear how the chief knew what happened, why Dowd showed up, as well, and whether either contacted anyone else regarding the incident.
Galvin spoke with Somick — again, an exchange that would show up on police video surveillance tapes. Soon after, Galvin ordered that Somick be released without charges, several sources with direct knowledge of the incident told CLIFFVIEW PILOT.
Dowd eventually drove Somick home — with Galvin going along for the ride.
“All 3 officers involved,” one police source emphasized, “have wives employed by the NB Board of Ed.
“Sgt Corbisiero’s wife teaches in McKinley School. Cpt. Dowd’s fiance is employed in Board of Ed Office. Chief Galvin’s wife is supervisor in the Pre-School. These men can be seen & heard joking about this invest in HQ…stating it will go nowhere because a ‘real news source’ has not grabbed ahold of this story and HCPO will not investigate.”
Although Hudson County Prosecutor Edward DeFazio said he wouldn’t act unless a police officer “disturbed” by the incident came to him first, township employees say investigators from both the FBI and the U.S. Justice Department have already begun asking questions.
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