Toms River Fire Chief Accused Of Sex Assaults Was Put On Leave, Fire District Says

TOMS RIVER, NJ — A former police officer and fire chief in Toms River was put on administrative leave and law enforcement was notified after a firefighter reported sexual assaults to Toms River fire officials, an attorney said Wednesday.

Richard M. Braslow, the attorney for Toms River Fire District 2 and its Board of Fire Commissioners, said in an emailed statement on Wednesday that Robert Sinnott Jr. has been on administrative leave since 2023.

Sinnott is accused in a 92-page lawsuit of systematically isolating and sexually assaulting at least three firefighters in the Silverton Volunteer Fire Company in incidents that happened in 2017, 2021 and 2023.

The three firefighters who filed the lawsuit, listed as John Does 1, 2, and 3, also named Toms River Fire District 2 and a number of its current and former commissioners as defendants, alleging they ignored Sinnott's assaults and failing to stop them. They allege Sinnott had abused new recruits for years.

“The abuse occurred not only at Sinnott’s residence but shockingly, in full view of others at the firehouse,” the lawsuit alleges. “This case is not just about the individual acts of one predator, but about the collective failure of an institution to protect those under its care.”

"Toms River Fire District 2 and its Board of Fire Commissioners cannot comment due to pending litigation," Braslow wrote in the emailed statement.

"However, I can share that the Fire Commissioners acted swiftly upon learning of the allegations, and various law enforcement authorities were notified so that the appropriate legal action and investigation could take place," he said. "The member in question has been on administrative leave since 2023. Any further inquiries should be directed to the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office or the Attorney General’s Office."

Sinnott was president of the Silverton Volunteer Fire Company from 2017-2021 and was a police officer until February 2021 with the Island Heights Police Department, serving for 23 years. He has not answered messages from Patch seeking comment.

The three firefighters all say Sinnott used his position of authority in the fire company to groom them when they were new volunteers, before assaulting them.

John Does 1 and 2 did not report the incidents but allege they were isolated from other members by Sinnott spreading negative comments about them.

John Doe 3 said he reported the incidents in 2023 to John Keating Jr., the current Silverton chief, and then to Tim Carson, the District 2 business administrator, and two members of the District 2 Board of Fire Commissioners, Joseph Duff and Kevin Britton.

"The Commissioners made John Doe 3 talk to a prosecutor who was friends with Defendant Sinnott," the lawsuit alleges. "John Doe 3 did so, but, upon information and belief, the prosecutor never proceeded with charges against Defendant Sinnott."

The lawsuit continues, "The TR Fire District 2 Commissioners, specifically Defendants Carson, Duff, and Britton advised John Doe 3 to stay quiet and refrain from further discussing or reporting Defendant Sinnott’s abuse with anyone other than the Commissioners.

Requests for comment from the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office and the New Jersey Attorney General's Office on Wednesday were not answered. Neither office typically acknowledges investigations regarding officials' activities unless charges are filed.