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Budd Lake Fire Chief Joe Compano was arrested and charged with lewdness following the Tuesday, Sept. 19 incident in the parking lot of the Sparta ShopRite store on North Village Boulevard, Sparta police Detective Lt. Tom Snyder said.
It began around 11:50 p.m., when a woman loading groceries into her car called police to say that the man in a maroon Ford Explorer next to her was masturbating with his penis exposed, Snyder said. He masturbated more aggressively and tried hiding behind the driver's doorpost but would periodically peek at the woman, Snyder said.
"The complainant believed that Mr. Compano saw her on the phone while looking at his license plate and abruptly left the area," Snyder said in a release. "The complainant provided a detailed description of Mr. Compano."
Police arrived on scene and found a man who matched the description provided: Compano. The fire chief told officers he was the only one driving the Explorer, and that he went to ShopRite to get lunch.
Compano told officers he ate his lunch while parked in the lot, and denied allegations he was masturbating, police said, saying he had a tray of watermelon on his lap and was eating it with a fork, suggesting that may have been the masturbation motion the complainant observed.
"Patrols on scene did not observe any indication of watermelon or a container in the vehicle upon initial approach," Snyder said. "Patrols cleared the scene at this point."
Video surveillance from the Shoprite parking lot shows the red Ford explorer, driven by Compano, entering the parking lot and parking in multiple different spots for a short period of time before finally staying in the spot next to the complainant’s vehicle, Snyder said.
This parking spot was in the first row facing the southern entrance roadway to the shopping complex. At no time did Compano get out of his car and enter the ShopRite to obtain lunch, contrary to his initial claims, police said.
During a follow-up interview at headquarters, Compano admitted to masturbating in his vehicle in view of the complainant.
Budd Lake fire officials did not respond to Daily Voice's request for comment placed Friday, Sept. 22.
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