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The Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office said on Wednesday, Feb. 21 that it's investigated the exchange between Bradley Beach Police Chief Leonard Guida and Sgt. William Major, which transpired on Thursday, Nov. 9. Public information officer Mark Spivey confirmed the investigation to the Daily Voice in an emailed statement.
At a council meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2023, the borough's attorney said Chief Guida was on paid administrative leave and declined further comment.
TAPinto Asbury Park was first to report on the incident, which happened during a motor vehicle stop, an alleged DWI. Police bodycam footage shows Guida approaching Major, who was working the incident.
Chief Guida arrived at the crash scene at around 10:30 p.m. in street clothes and scolded Major for wearing a jacket with peeling letters, footage shows.
Major's bodycam footage obtained by TAPInto shows Guida approaching him, to which Major says, "Chief, I'm working. I don't have time to argue about a jacket."
Video from another police officer's body camera captures Guida touching Sgt. Major's right arm. Major grabbed Chief Guida by the torso and slammed his back into the hood of a police cruiser.
"Don't you touch me!" Sgt. Major shouted. "Don't you touch me! Don't you f***ing touch me!"
Two other officers separated Guida from Major as the sergeant picked Chief Guida's keys off the ground and handed them back to him.
Sgt. Major also said the chief was "drunk again" and told him to leave or he was "going to get locked up." Chief Guida then told Sgt. Major that he was suspended and was ordered to return to police headquarters.
"Get out of here," Major tells Guida. "You're obstructing my DWI."
"Billy, you're relieved," Guida later tells Major. "You're suspended."
"I'm suspended?" Major asks. "Okay. I'm going home."
Daily Voice has also filed an Open Public Records Act (OPRA) request to independently obtain the body camera video from the Borough of Bradley Beach.
Daily Voice has reached out to Guida and Borough Mayor Larry Fox to comment on the investigation. Neither had responded as of press time.
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