Officer Accused In Home Invasion Alleged Discrimination By Toms River Police Department

TOMS RIVER, NJ — A Toms River police officer accused of breaking into a home and assaulting two people filed a lawsuit last October alleging discrimination and accusing a retired fellow officer of sexual assault.

Rebecca A. Sayegh, 32, was arrested Monday in connection with what authorities said was a domestic incident in Berkeley Township. She remained in the Ocean County Jail in Tuesday afternoon on charges of home invasion burglary, assault, criminal mischief, terroristic threats and resisting arrest, according to jail records.

Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said Sayegh, who was off-duty at the time, is accused of going to a home on Evernhan Avenue late Friday night, smashing the front glass door, then going in and assaulting and threatening two victims inside the home. Sayegh also is accused of damaging the hood of a vehicle belonging to one of the victims that was parked in the driveway, authorities said. She was arrested at the scene after having resisted efforts to peacefully place her under arrest, he said, then re-arrested on Monday and taken to the county jail because of the severity of the charges.

Authorities have not released a motive for the attack or any additional details as of Tuesday afternoon.

In the lawsuit filed Oct. 30, Sayegh alleges she was sexually assaulted on June 15, 2022, by Shaun O'Keefe, a retired Toms River police officer, at a Toms River Police Foundation event, and says Toms River's police department administration covered it up. Her lawsuit also alleges she was passed over for promotions because she is a woman.

The claim against O'Keefe was dismissed April 15 by Superior Court Judge Robert Brenner, according to New Jersey court records.

The discrimination portion of the lawsuit is ongoing; Sayegh, who was hired by Toms River in 2016, alleges she was passed over for promotions because she is a woman.

The sexual assault allegations first surfaced publicly in October 2024 in an election campaign letter signed by Councilwoman Lynn O'Toole, which claimed former Police Chief Mitch Little covered up the incident.

Maurice Hill, who was mayor at the time of the incident, said the matter was turned over to the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office immediately.

Sayegh's lawsuit was filed after O'Toole's letter circulated in town.

Little has not commented on the allegations because he is a defendant in the lawsuit. Current Police Chief Peter Sundack has not responded to a request for comment.

Sayegh also was credited with rescuing a woman and her pets from a house fire in Toms River in 2021.