Old Bridge finally taps permanent police chief after three-year saga

OLD BRIDGE – The township finally has a new top cop after playing musical chairs for nearly three years.

Lt. Thomas J. Montagna was sworn in as Old Bridge police chief before a zealous crowd at Tuesday's Township Council meeting. He’s the township's first permanent police chief since former Chief William Volkert retired in April 2021.

The township had predominantly been rotating captains in the role of acting chief since, with former Mayor Owen Henry citing pending litigation as the reason.

Montagna expressed gratitude and eagerness to work with township officials to serve Old Bridge residents.

"I am eager to collaborate with you as we work together to serve and protect the residents of Old Bridge," he said. "To the dedicated men and women of the Old Bridge Police Department, I want to assure you that I haven't forgotten my roots and I'll always stand by your side. The residents of Old Bridge are blessed to have such outstanding individuals serving in our department."

Montagna has ascended the department’s ranks since joining in 1999. He became a detective in 2005, served with the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office Task Force for one year and returned in the township’s narcotics bureau. He was promoted to sergeant in 2015 and to lieutenant in 2022, according to Mayor Debbie Walker.

"My vision for this police department is rooted in reducing crime, community partnerships, transparency and accountability," the chief said. "I want to emphasize to the residents of Old Bridge that your safety is my top priority. We will not tolerate individuals coming to our community and committing crimes. Our approach to crime prevention will be proactive and unyielding. The relationship between the Old Bridge PD and the community is paramount. It is something I'm deeply passionate about. We will exert maximum effort to strengthen our relationship."

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Montagna has received the Meritorious Service Medal, the Lifesaving Award and the Gallantry Star, as well as the Honorable Service Award from the Monmouth and Ocean County Intelligence Bureau, among numerous other citations.

Walker, a Republican, who defeated Democratic challenger Jill DeCaro in November for the mayor’s seat, said during her campaign she would appoint a police chief in her first 30 days in office. She reaffirmed that promise in an interview with mycentraljersey.com at the end of December.

"I began the process in my first month in office," Walker said. "We wanted to do this the right way. We sent letters and questionnaires and had to give time for responses. We reviewed all the responses and conducted interviews. We just wanted to do a thorough process and give everyone a fair chance. We're just very excited to have a permanent police chief now. I am confident that under Chief Montagna's leadership, our police department will continue to thrive and make a meaningful difference in our community."

There were 11 eligible candidates for the position and six participated in the interview process, Walker said.

Montagna immediately succeeds Capt. Donald F. Fritz, Jr. who was most recently serving as acting chief.

"After three long years of no leadership, Mayor Walker chose an outstanding leader for our department," Vincent Galgano, president of Old Bridge PBA Local 127, said in a post on the organization’s Facebook page. "We are all anxiously looking forward to working with Chief Montagna for many years to come!"

Montagna thanked his family and spoke about the importance of their support.

"As those of us in law enforcement understand, the support of family is crucial for the success of any police officer," he said. "The demanding nature of our profession, with its long hours, shifts and sacrifices can take a toll on family life."

Email: sloyer@gannettnj.com

Susan Loyer covers Middlesex County and more for MyCentralJersey.com. To get unlimited access to her work, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Old Bridge NJ Police Chief Thomas Montagna sworn in