LEONIA, N.J. – A volunteer fire department was suspended on Monday while officials deal with allegations that a teenager who had applied to be a firefighter molested a 3-year-old boy behind a fire truck.
North Jersey.com reported that as of noon Monday, two neighboring departments were answering fire calls to cover the volunteer fire department for free.
“I hope this arrangement is short-lived,” Borough Administrator Jack Terhune said. “It’s up to the mayor and council to decide what happens, not me.”
Terhune did add that the entire fire department may need to be reorganized. And, Mayor John DeSimone said, “We may have to change the way some things are done.”
Word of suspension drew many volunteer firefighters and angry supporters to the Borough Council meeting Monday night, according to the report. Residents accused officials of disrespecting loyal, dedicated volunteers and questioned why the borough would shut down a 115-year-old department over an isolated incident, according to the report.
“The actions of this administration are despicable,” Karen Peters, a lifelong resident, said. “This department has run well for more than 100 years without the involvement of Jack Terhune.”
Peters said the council was using this incident as an excuse to take over the fire department.
The suspension came three days after an 18-year-old man with developmental disabilities was arrested on a sexual assault charge, accused of inappropriately touching the young son of a volunteer firefighter, according to the report.
Firefighters were locked out of the firehouse Friday, but volunteers were still on call over the weekend, according to the report.
Mark Semeraro, a partner in the Fort Lee law firm representing the fire department, told the council that the lockout and suspension were “knee-jerk” reactions to an “unfortunate situation,” according to the report.
Semeraro and his associates said the borough’s “extreme actions” were illegal and unenforceable and that they would jeopardize the safety of Leonia residents, according to the report. He asked the council to vacate the Borough administrator’s orders and allow the firefighters to return to duty.
Before the council meeting, Terhune said the suspension of the Leonia department was the “direct result” of an arrest stemming from something that is alleged to have taken place inside a borough building, and that borough officials had to evaluate the circumstances surrounding it, according to the report.
“It’s a very serious situation that happened,” he said. “To ignore it would be detrimental to the community.”
Yet Jeffrey Betz, president of the New Jersey State Fire Chief’s Association, told the paper he does not believe a municipality would be allowed to suspend an entire department while relying solely on mutual-aid agreements for protection.