A former New Jersey fire chief and retired police officer has been arrested in Florida on charges of criminal sexual contact and official misconduct, nearly nine months after multiple firefighters accused him of subjecting them to abuse under the pretense of training.
Robert Sinnott Jr., formerly of Toms River and now a resident of Cape Coral, on Florida’s Gulf Coast, is accused of forcing firefighters at the Silverton Volunteer Fire Company into acts of non-consensual sexual contact, Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin said in a news release Friday.
The 52-year-old, who served as president of the fire company from 2017 to 2021, also served as an officer with the Island Heights Police Department until retiring in February 2021 after 23 years of service, according to Patch Toms River.
According to his alleged victims, on several dates in 2022 and 2023, the man they saw as a mentor lured them to the firehouse, his Toms River home or other locations, where he allegedly handcuffed or restrained them during what he claimed were police reenactments and simulations.
Sinnott then “forc[ed] acts of sexual contact upon them,” and in some instances, took photographs of them while they were handcuffed or restrained, Platkin said.
Sinnott was arrested Thursday by Cape Coral police and taken to Lee County Jail, where he’s awaiting extradition to New Jersey.
Earlier this year, three former and current Silverton volunteer firefighters filed a lawsuit alleging Sinnott subjected them to abuse that ranged “from forced masturbation and groping to violent physical restraints and assaults, often under the guise of ‘training’ or ‘demonstrations.’”
Sinnott “preyed upon young volunteer firefighters, with full knowledge — and inaction — by district leadership,” a systematic abuse that went on for more than two decades, according to the 95-page complaint.
The suit alleged that much of the abuse occurred at the firehouse and “in full view of others,” pointing to a culture of complicity and institutional failure.
Sinnott’s accusers claimed his background in law enforcement enabled him to avoid getting into any legal trouble, and that any attempts they made to report the abuse were met with retaliation and sometimes a coordinated effort to conceal the allegations.
On Friday, the Silverton Volunteer Fire Company responded to recent criticism of leadership and staff in connection with “reported misconduct involving a former individual associated with the company,” without naming Sinnott.
In a statement shared on social media, the organization said those who believe leadership knew of or tolerated the individual’s actions should know that such beliefs do not reflect the values, conduct or operational standards of the fire company.
