Watch: Bradley Beach police chief and sergeant had altercation that prompted investigation

BRADLEY BEACH - A heated altercation between the police chief and a sergeant during an accident investigation in November was caught on police body cam videos and prompted an investigation by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office.

The confrontation between Bradley Beach Police Chief Leonard Guida and Sgt. William Major occurred at the scene of a motor vehicle crash around 10:30 p.m. on Nov. 9, according to video taken from cameras worn by Major and two other officers. Guida can be seen at the scene in civilian clothing. He pulls Major aside and starts to criticize his jacket, saying it's "not fit to be worn."

Major walks away, repeatedly telling the chief he is working a possible DWI crash investigation while the chief continues trying to talk to him.

"Chief, I'm working," Major says. "I don't have time to argue about a jacket."

The chief then reaches to touch Major's arm with his hand, to which Major responds by yelling "don't you touch me" and pinning him against the hood of a police car.

Major then picks him up and releases him.

"Now get out of here, before you get a problem," Major says. "Chief, get out of here or you're going to get locked up."

Major can also be heard saying the chief is "drunk again" and obstructing his work on the possible DWI stop.

"Shut up, because you're in trouble now," Guida says after the physical altercation. "Now we've got a real ... problem."

The chief then tells Major he's "relieved" from duty, repeatedly telling him to go to headquarters and wait for him. Then, he tells the sergeant he's suspended.

"Wait for me in there," Guida says. "That's an order."

"You know I love you," the chief says before they part ways.The Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office conducted an investigation into actions by the Bradley Beach Chief of Police, including the altercation with Major in November, and forwarded their findings to the Borough of Bradley Beach for its review, according to Mark Spivey, spokesperson for the prosecutor's office.

Spivey would not release the findings.

"We fully expect that the actions we have taken, and the additional actions pending in Bradley Beach, will collectively remedy this issue," the statement from the office said. Bradley Beach Mayor Larry Fox said in a statement Thursday that he has received the report from the prosecutor's office but cannot comment in detail until the matter is completed."I am confident we will have closure shortly," Fox said. "I anticipate making a statement early next week as we conclude this matter."

Whether disciplinary action was taken against either member of the department is unclear. The Borough of Bradley Beach required the Asbury Park Press to submit an OPRA request to answer the question, and their response is pending.

TAPinto reported that at the beginning of December 2023, Guida was placed on paid administrative leave from his $204,000 a year position, while Major is back to work full-time. Capt. James Arnold has commanded the 18-member department since the beginning of December, TAPinto reported.

Jenna Calderón covers breaking news and cold cases in Monmouth and Ocean counties. Before coming to the Press, she covered The Queen City for Cincinnati Magazine in Ohio. Contact her at 330-590-3903; jcalderon@gannettnj.com

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Bradley Beach police chief, sergeant get into fight at crash site