Former Paterson police officer indicted on domestic violence charges
A grand jury has delivered an indictment against Joseph Tuminelli, a former Paterson police officer and city resident, who was charged with domestic violence offenses last year, adding to a barrage of scandals that have plagued the city's Police Department.
The panel upheld prosecutors' February 2021 charges of domestic aggravated assault and stalking against Tuminelli, 28, who will also face a harassment charge not included in the indictment.
In an affidavit of probable cause, authorities said Tuminelli assaulted his girlfriend on multiple occasions. The first reported incident occurred in September 2020, when he allegedly punched her in the head in the parking lot of a Paterson café.
The next reported incident was in October 2020, when Tuminelli allegedly slammed her into a vehicle outside a friend's house. The victim told police she woke up the next morning with a swollen eye and busted lip.
The next month, police said Tuminelli punched the victim in the head after he had scrolled through her messages with a friend, causing a lump.
In February 2021, the victim reported the incidents to police after she believed she saw Tuminelli's car while she was walking down the street.
The affidavit stated that the victim had videos of her injuries and gave a statement to internal affairs.
After his arrest, Tuminelli was placed on unpaid suspension, nixing the officer's reported $33,873 salary, according to Mayor Andre Sayegh. However, when reached for comment after Tuesday's announcement from Passaic County prosecutors, Sayegh said the officer had resigned in September.
Last year, Public Safety Director Jerry Speziale expressed full confidence that proceedings against the accused officer would move efficiently, saying, “The Prosecutor’s Office is extremely thorough in their handling of domestic violence investigations,” and adding, “they do not let these things linger.”
More Paterson news:In reversal, Paterson school board approves pay hikes for top brass
Tuminelli was new to the force when the allegations surfaced, having been hired the previous July, and was still subject to probationary employment when he was charged, NorthJersey.com previously reported.
At the time of his hiring, Tuminelli ranked high on a civil service list, which the city used for new recruits after a slew of accusations rattled public trust in the department, including the so-called "robbery squad" of five officers who eventually pleaded guilty to federal charges, admitting they ran a rogue outfit that shook down residents and other victims for money.
Last year, the Passaic County Prosecutor's Office found no grounds for criminal charges in a December 2020 excessive force complaint by Garfield resident Desyiah Leak, who claimed Officer Kendry Tineo-Restituyo punched her during a traffic stop, but referred the matter back to the department for internal review. Meanwhile, charges against Tineo-Restituyo and Officer Kevin Patino, who were both indicted in an alleged attack on Osamah Alsaidi that same month, are currently pending in federal court.
Speziale did not respond to comment on the status of Leak's internal affairs complaint.
In yet another maneuver for the department, Sayegh terminated former Police Chief Ibrahim Baycora last month, accusing him of having “No plan, no vision, no strategy,” and appointed Paterson police veteran Engelbert Ribeiro to the role in an acting capacity.
“One of the things we have to do is rebuild the relationship with the community,” Ribeiro said during an interview at the time of his appointment. “We lost that trust. I want to build it back up.”
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Ex-Paterson cop indicted on domestic violence charges
