Hoboken Fire Chief Still Not Reinstated A Year After Judge's Ruling

HOBOKEN, NJ — In May 2021, the city of Hoboken removed Fire Chief Brian Crimmins from his role for reasons they didn't make public — but they paid his six-figure salary for 20 months while he was on leave. READ MORE: Hoboken Fire Chief Placed On Leave; Officials Mum

Then, he was brought back as a firefighter in 2023, demoted to the lowest rank. He filed a legal case and won in November of 2024 — yet, the city has still declined to give him back the job of chief. READ MORE: Judge Orders Former Hoboken Fire Chief Reinstated After 2 Years Of Paid Leave

A state administrative law judge rendered an opinion 12 months ago that the city didn't have enough evidence to back up their allegations against him.

Anton Peskens has continued serving as Hoboken fire chief to this day, despite the ruling.

Recently, four Hoboken City Council members voted for a resolution to support reinstating Crimmins — but he still hasn't regained his title.

Background

Crimmins was promoted to the role of chief in 2018. He had served in the Hoboken Fire Department since 2004.

He had come from a long line of public safety officials in Hoboken, including his grandfather, for whom the police station on Hudson Street is named. But after college, he went into finance, working for Deutsche Bank before becoming a fireman.

A post in December 2020 by the pandemic volunteer group FLAG Hoboken noted: "Don't let the blue eyes and the calm demeanor fool you, he is a very smart cookie. He graduated Magna Cum Laude from Boston College and has a masters from John Jay of Criminal Justice. He has also authored multiple articles in national publications on rescue, hazardous materials and building codes."

At the time of Crimmins' leave, sources suggested that internal battles and politics had resulted in the city's actions — actions that proved costly to the taxpayers.

Council Agrees

Councilman Paul Presinzano introduced a resolution at a council meeting last month to urge the city to comply with the judge's 2024 ruling. Presinzano and council members Russo, Fisher, and Ramos — who are sometime critics of Mayor Ravi Bhalla — voted "yes."

Councilmen Phil Cohen, Jim Doyle, and Joe Quintero, who almost never break with Bhalla, voted "no."

And Councilwoman Emily Jabbour, who also consistently votes with the mayor — but is the only mayoral ally running for mayor — declined to take a side, abstaining.

Russo, Fisher, and Ramos are also among the six people running for mayor. Also running are Patricia Waiters and Dini Ajmani.

In an email sent by Ajmani the public in late August, she wrote, "Recently, I was asked about my opinion regarding the reinstatement of Fire Chief Brian Crimmins. At that time, I had not sufficiently researched the matter, and my response was misinformed. I spoke without having all the facts and it was a mistake. Upon further investigation, it has become clear that our city is currently in non-compliance with a court order.

"Ours is a country governed by the rule of law. We are rightly appalled when, for example, a presidential administration such as Trump’s ignores the judiciary. Are we not hypocritical, then, if we overlook similar conduct within our own city government? It is troubling to see our mayor choosing to defy a direct order from the courts."

New Jersey Office of Administrative Law Judge Susana Guerrero had issued a decision in October 2024 addressing the city's allegations and calling for Crimmins to be reinstated, but said it was up to the Civil Service Commission to make a final ruling.

In November 2024, the Commission backed up Judge Guerrero's decision, voting for Crimmins to be reinstated.

The city then filed a request for the state to reconsider the ruling, saying there was new information.

"Specifically," the state summarized in February 2025, "it provides that the Acting Fire Chief has expressed his unwillingness to continue in the department if Crimmins is reinstated to Fire Chief, and he certifies that if Crimmins is reinstated there will be leadership instability...Hoboken highlights that a fire department is a paramilitary organization and confidence and trust in leadership is critical."

The state denied the reconsideration.

It also said that Crimmins should be reinstated as chief within 30 days.

Up To The City

A city spokesperson was asked Tuesday if the city expects to reinstate Crimmins soon.

Patch will update this story if an answer is received.

The allegations from the city against Crimmins, detailed in the Administrative Law Judge's Oct. 3 ruling, included the following: That he made disparaging remarks about Office of Emergency Management Coordinator William Montanez, some in front of Montanez's partner, Fire Battalion Chief Audra Carter; that he issued an order "retaliating against certain battalion chiefs," and that he didn't complete certain important administrative tasks. The city also charged that he didn't properly plan for a Black Lives Matter protest, a February 2021 snowstorm, and several aspects of the covid pandemic.

Officials also alleged that he issued an "ill-advised" order telling the OEM to direct communications through Crimmins rather than to other agencies. The judge's decision also noted that Crimmins refused an order from the city to have firefighters drive the free HOP shuttles during the pandemic. Crimmins argued that the firefighters did not have the proper licensing to do so.

Around the time that the city made its charges, Fire Battalion Chief Mario Fini also filed a complaint saying that Crimmins continually harassed him, including asking him which of the firefighters were also working for Fini's private business. Fini claimed that Crimmins attemped to "sow division" among employees in the department.

Judge Guerrero found in October that there was not enough evidence for most of the claims, although she did agree that Crimmins should not have issued the order for all OEM communications to go through him.

"I also find that the evidence does not preponderate that Crimmins methodically established a pattern of hostility and animosity directed at the OEM Coordinator, as alleged," Guerrero said in issuing her ruling. "...While I find that Crimmins made comments that were critical of OEM and Montanez during a training, and in the presence of Carter, the criticisms were not personal but related to the job itself and OEM's operational performance."

In 2023, a local church asked the city to reinstate Crimmins. He returned to work as a firefighter shortly afterward.

Last year, Crimmins said, "Throughout my career, I have worked tirelessly to ensure the safety of our residents, to lead the HFD with integrity, and to serve with honor. I look forward to resuming my duties”

Crimmins declined to comment this week, due to the ongoing litigation.

Watch The Discussions

To see the times and dates of future Hoboken City Council meetings, click here.

You can watch past meetings virtually here.