Altercation between Bradley Beach police chief, sergeant caught on camera
The conversation turned physical, and Sgt. William Major says Chief Leonard Guida grabbed his arm.
A drunk driving crash investigation in Bradley Beach ultimately led to a physical altercation and the suspensions of a local police chief and sergeant. The incident was all recorded on camera.
The chief remains suspended with pay – and the sergeant back on duty – after this Nov. 9 incident. The bodycam videos were first published by local online magazine TapInto through an open records request.
The video shows Sgt. William Major assisting on the scene of a suspected DWI crash. In the middle of the stop, Chief Leonard Guida, seen in street clothes, pulls him aside to criticize the jacket that Major is wearing. The sergeant argues with the chief that this isn’t the time for this conversation.
The conversation then turned physical – the sergeant says the chief grabbed his arm – the heated moment captured by multiple angles. The sergeant is heard on bodycam saying “drunk again” about the chief.
The heated moment ends with Guida suspending Major on site and asking him to meet him at headquarters.
Word of the chief’s suspension first surfaced during the Dec. 6 town council meeting. He has remained off the job ever since.
News 12 reached out to the chief and sergeant who both responded with “no comment."
Incidents involving a police chief will be investigated by the county prosecutor’s office, according to state guidelines. A spokesperson for Monmouth County could neither confirm nor deny any ongoing investigation – however, they did say they would issue a statement when they could.
Mayor Larry Fox told News 12 that the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office concluded the investigation and delivered the results to him. Fox said he will announce what the consequences will be early next week, and said the decision would "bring closure" to the community.
