Attorney General: NJ fire chief handcuffed men, groped and violated them

🚨 Former Ocean County volunteer fire chief and police officer charged with criminal sexual contact and official misconduct.
🔥 Investigators say Robert Sinnott handcuffed young firefighters under the guise of “training” before forcing sexual contact.
👮 SWAT officers arrested Sinnott in Florida; he faces extradition back to New Jersey.

A former longtime Ocean County volunteer fire chief and local police officer is now facing criminal charges, after accusations that he repeatedly tricked and groped young co-workers.

Robert M. Sinnott, Jr., served in various roles at Silverton Volunteer Fire Company in Toms River, including chief.

He also spent at least two decades as a police officer, leaving the Island Heights Police Department in 2021.

Sinnott has been charged with four counts of fourth-degree criminal sexual contact and second-degree official misconduct, after state investigators examined some of the claims made in a lawsuit filed earlier this year by three men.

Read More: Lawsuit say NJ assistant fire chief handcuffed men, groped them

Firefighters say trusted mentor used authority to abuse younger members

Multiple firefighters have said they looked to Sinnott as a mentor and role model — which the defendant has been accused of twisting into acts of non-consensual sexual contact.

Sinnott, formerly of Toms River, is now a resident of Cape Coral, Florida.

At different times in 2022 and 2023, Sinnott was accused of creating situations where he would be alone with victims — either at the firehouse, at his residence in Toms River, or other locations.

Attorney general: Victims were handcuffed, restrained and photographed

He then handcuffed them under the guise of “training,” or otherwise physically restrained them, before forcing acts of sexual contact upon them, state Attorney General Matthew Platkin said.

In some instances, the victims said that Sinnott took photos of them while they were handcuffed.

The accusations outlined by Platkin mirrored some details shared in a lawsuit filed in March, by John Does 1 through 3.

“This case exposes a horrific pattern of sexual abuse and institutional failure within the Silverton Volunteer Fire Company #1 and Toms River Fire District 2,” according to the complaint filed in Ocean County Superior Court.

SWAT arrest in Florida; officials seek more witnesses

On Thursday, he was arrested by the Cape Coral Police SWAT Team with assistance from New Jersey’s Office of Public Integrity and Accountability.

Sinnott was taken to Lee County Jail, pending extradition to New Jersey.

Anyone with potential additional information about Sinnott’s conduct, was urged to contact OPIA Detective Brandon Mastropasqua at 609-960-3768 or Detective Malikah Daniels at 856-414-8855.

OPIA has a toll-free tip line at 1-844-OPIA-TIP for the public to report corruption.

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