Caldwell Cop Launches ‘Retaliation’ Lawsuit Against Town Officials

CALDWELL, NJ — A police captain in Caldwell has launched a lawsuit against several township officials, accusing them of retaliating against him when he started to voice complaints about “unlawful actions” in the workplace.

Last month, Capt. Matthew DeAngelo filed a civil lawsuit that names mayor Garrett Jones, borough administrator Alex Palumbo and the Caldwell Borough Council. Read it below, or view it online here.

“We cannot comment on matters in litigation,” Palumbo said when Patch reached out about the lawsuit.

DeAngelo has been employed with the Caldwell Police Department for 16 years, and previously served as president of the West Essex PBA Local #81. He was promoted to captain in 2021.

The lawsuit claims his employment record with the Caldwell Police Department is “immaculate” and includes multiple commendations and accreditations, as well as experience putting together the department’s annual budget.

In the lawsuit, DeAngelo claims that he was repeatedly told by the town’s now-retired police chief that he was in line to succeed him – a situation that he assumed Jones agreed with.

But things allegedly took a turn for the worse when DeAngelo began the process of hiring two new police officers in late 2023, he says. See Related: Caldwell Moves Toward Adding 2 New Police Officers To Its Payroll

DeAngelo alleges that the mayor provided him with a list of candidates that he wanted to be considered for the jobs over nearly 130 other applicants. The problem? Several of them hadn’t officially applied for the position or paid the required fee.

In addition, one of them was connected to a close friend to the mayor, DeAngelo alleges. This candidate – a construction worker with “zero police experience” – would need to be sent to the police academy at an additional expense of $25,000.

The situation left DeAngelo feeling “very uncomfortable,” his lawsuit claims.

The police captain says he specifically objected to the request during a meeting with Jones and Palumbo in February 2024, saying that it would violate the state attorney general guidelines. According to DeAngelo, the mayor demanded that he “wants his friend … hired now!”

The back-and-forth continued over the course of the year, with a dispute over a hiring resolution at a council meeting in March adding fuel to the fire.

The candidate was eventually hired as a police dispatcher, with town administrators going around DeAngelo to make the decision, the lawsuit claims.

Meanwhile, Caldwell officials went on with the process of selecting a new police chief.

According to DeAngelo, the borough’s mayor and council have been interviewing candidates for the job for years. This changed in 2024, when the council hired The Ambrose Group to lead the promotional process.

The borough eventually appointed a “police director” to head the CPD – an entirely new position. DeAngelo alleges that efforts to “freeze him out” of his supervisor duties with the Caldwell Police Department continued, with Jones, Palumbo and the council making several administrative decisions outside of his purview – including the hiring of a second police captain.

DeAngelo claims that he has “effectively been demoted” and has seen a “severe change” in his workplace conditions – in addition to “public shaming and ridicule.” He is suing for compensatory and exemplary damages, pain and suffering, emotional distress, punitive damages and attorney fees.

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