Fired NYPD Cop Lied About Past To Get Hired At Jersey Shore Police Departments: Prosecutor

FREEHOLD, NJ — A former New York Police Department officer who previously worked in the West Wildwood Police Department repeatedly lied about a prior arrest and job termination while both seeking and obtaining law enforcement careers along the Jersey Shore, the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office said.

Briant K. Nixon, 38, previously worked in the West Wildwood Police Department in 2022, Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago said. Nixon also sent in a resume but not a formal application to the Matawan Police Department and was hired by Neptune police in 2023, Santiago said.

However, Nixon did not disclose his prior NYPD employment in these instances, nor did he disclose his arrest record, Santiago said. Nixon worked for the NYPD from 2012 to 2017, when he was terminated for violating department rules and regulations in connection with a 2015 arrest for domestic violence and for violating a restraining order, Santiago said.

In his application with Neptune, Nixon swore before a notary public that the false information he included in his paperwork was true, Santiago said.

But investigation found that when Nixon renewed his police license earlier this year, he again falsely stated that he had never been charged with any crime or been the subject of a restraining order.

Nixon was charged with pattern of official misconduct, three counts of tampering with public records, false swearing, falsifying records and unsworn falsification to authorities.

He was served these charges on a summons with a first appearance in Monmouth County Superior Court tentatively set for Sept. 25.

“The Neptune Township Police Department takes seriously its obligation to hold itself and its officers to the highest standards. The actions of one officer do not represent the values of the men and women who serve in our department with integrity and professionalism every day,” Neptune Township Police Chief Anthony Gualario said. “We remain committed to transparency, accountability, and strengthening the trust between law enforcement and the community we serve. He (Nixon) will remain suspended while the justice system runs its course.”