Edward O'Neil, a retired New Jersey State Police major, left his loaded handgun unattended in an unlocked Cadillac Escalade as he sought sexual favors at an Interstate 78 rest area in Hunterdon County, according to a state police report.
A retired New Jersey State Police major left a loaded handgun unattended in his unlocked vehicle as he sought sexual favors last month at an Interstate 78 rest area in Bethlehem Township, Hunterdon County, according to a state police report.
The vehicle and gun belonged to Edward M. O’Neil III, 53, of Ridge Road, Harmony Township, who retired in 2006 and now heads Camelot Security Associates LLC, the Belvidere firm that provides security for the Phillipsburg School District.
No charges have been filed.
Troopers returned the gun to O’Neil after they found him Oct. 29 in the sleeper cab of a tractor-trailer also parked at the rest area, according to the report obtained by The Express-Times through an open public records request.
The Hunterdon County Prosecutor’s Office is investigating whether any weapon violations occurred. The office’s chief of detectives, Dan Hurley, said a decision is likely later this week.
“Other than that, we were not involved in this matter and did not respond to it,” Hurley said.
O’Neil’s attorney Friday night denied “any claim, rumor or innuendo of any improper or unlawful conduct” by the retired major, who headed an intelligence unit for state police and coordinated New Jersey’s 9/11 response.
State police Acting Maj. Gerald Lewis said the prosecutor’s office is reviewing the incident.
According to the report, a trooper approached a white Cadillac Escalade at the rest area 8 miles east of Easton shortly after 7 p.m. after noticing it parked there for 30 to 40 minutes.
The report released by state police had names redacted; a separate copy obtained by the newspaper was complete.
Looking in the vehicle, a trooper spotted a holstered semiautomatic handgun in the opened center console, the report said.
The trooper entered the Escalade and retrieved the gun. Inside, the trooper also found O'Neil's wallet, state police retirement badge and some clothing — slacks, shoes and socks scattered in the back, according to the report. The trooper secured the gun in his patrol vehicle “after retrieving and making the weapon safe,” according to the report. A law enforcement source confirmed the gun was loaded.
The trooper called for assistance from other troopers to check on O’Neil’s well-being and encountered a trucker whose tractor-trailer was parked behind the Escalade, the report shows.
While initially uncooperative, the trucker told troopers O’Neil had approached his rig that night and asked him for sexual favors, the report states. The driver, who is from New York and whose name is being withheld by The Express-Times because he is not the subject of an investigation, told troopers he complied with O’Neil’s request and allowed him into the truck, according to the police report.
Troopers found O’Neil covered with a blanket in the sleeping compartment; he put on shorts, a jacket and sneakers before getting out of the rig, the report says.
O’Neil told troopers he pulled into the rest area in Bethlehem Township, N.J., to urinate and began conversing with the truck driver, according to the report. He said the driver invited him into the cab to continue the conversation out of the cool weather.
O’Neil did not return phone messages Friday and no one answered at the Harmony Township home that property records show is owned by Edward and Joan O’Neil.
At Camelot Security Associates on Hardwick Street, Belvidere, a man who answered the door Friday said O’Neil was unavailable.
His attorney, Washington-based Leonard Artigliere, issued a statement Friday night.
“We have not had the opportunity to review, investigate or even read the report alluded to,” Artigliere said. “It would therefore be inappropriate to comment.
“The career, honor, reputation and integrity of Mr. O’Neil speaks for itself with a strength beyond words. However, to be absolutely clear, any claim, rumor or innuendo of any improper or unlawful conduct is denied. Any such claims will be dealt with in the appropriate fashion.”
O’Neil had a leadership role in New Jersey’s terrorist attack response.
O’Neil worked for the New Jersey State Police for 25 years. He was the commanding officer of the state police Intelligence Section, according to the Camelot Security Associates website; he was also the commander of the state police Emergency Management Section.
He earns a monthly pension of $7,314.71, according to The Star-Ledger newspaper.
According to the Camelot website, O’Neil was a lieutenant when he was assigned as the state coordinating officer for the World Trade Center disaster on Sept. 11, 2001.
He served as on-scene commander at the Forward Command Post established at Liberty State Park in Jersey City and coordinated New Jersey’s emergency response to the disaster, the website says.
In May, the Phillipsburg School District hired O’Neil’s private security firm for one year to patrol school campuses and events such as football games. The $375,000 contract expires in July. Its approval led to the laying off of 14 security guards who had been district employees.
Phillipsburg schools Superintendent Mark B. Miller said Friday he would discuss the incident report — in particular the handgun left abandoned — with district attorneys and the school board to determine any potential ramifications on the contract.
“I’m concerned about the safety of my kids at the schools,” he said Friday. “Since this is the first time I’m hearing this, I have to contact the district’s legal counsel.”
Miller said O’Neil, as owner of the security firm, visits the schools occasionally. O’Neil has a security director on site, Miller said.
“I have a concern and that concern has to be addressed,” he said. “I have to find out what the next step has to be.”
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