Husband-And-Wife Cops Forfeit Jobs After Jersey Shore Bar Fight

TRENTON, NJ — Two State Police detectives — a husband and wife — have forfeited their jobs to resolve charges that they filed false reports about their roles in a North Wildwood bar fight, authorities said Monday.

State Police detectives Gregory Ogden, 52, and Dorothy Ogden, 46, both of Hammonton, were charged in April with fourth-degree falsifying or tampering with records.

Both detectives entered consent orders on Monday in which they agreed to forfeit their positions with the New Jersey State Police, Acting Attorney General Andrew J. Bruck said in a statement. The couple will be permanently barred from holding public office and public employment in New Jersey.

The detectives became involved in a fight with other patrons at Exit 6 Bar in North Wildwood on Feb. 22, 2020 and failed to immediately notify their chain of command in the New Jersey State Police as required, former Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal said in April when the charges were initially filed.

Instead, they waited two days and submitted a report that falsely described what had occurred, including their conduct during the incident, as revealed by video footage and other evidence, according to Grewal.

In his report, Gregory Ogden claimed he was struck by a bottle as a bystander after emerging from a bathroom, Grewal said. He wrote "[t]his disturbance did not involve myself nor any of the two individuals I was at the establishment with."

Video from the bar contradicts his claim, showing him directly involved in the fight, pushing multiple people and attempting to strike another patron, Grewal said.

In her report, Dorothy Ogden falsely described losing her husband in the bar and then only finding him once he was outside of the bar with a bloodied face, Grewal said. However, the video shows her involved in the physical altercation, pushing multiple people, including the individual who later struck her husband with a bottle. Video also shows her pushing bar security personnel who intervened.

During an appearance on Monday before Superior Court Judge Peter E. Warshaw in Mercer County, the couple also waived indictment and agreed to be charged by accusation with fourth-degree falsifying or tampering with records, Bruck said. They previously were charged by complaint-summons with that offense.

Under the resolution, the state said the couple could apply to the Pre-Trial Intervention (PTI) program, and the judge admitted the couple into PTI. If they successfully complete the program, the criminal charge against them will be dismissed, Bruck said.

The New Jersey State Police Office of Professional Standards initially investigated the incident and referred it to the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability Corruption Bureau.

The case was prosecuted by Deputy Attorney General Brian Uzdavinis of the OPIA Corruption Bureau, under the supervision of Bureau Chief Peter Lee and OPIA Deputy Director Anthony Picione.

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