A combative public hearing in New Jersey reportedly turned physical Wednesday night when Pemberton Township Mayor Matthew Bianchini charged at one of his most persistent critics, prompting several people in the audience to restrain the town’s top elected official.
Bianchini rushed toward local activist Michael Sawka while shouting, “I am getting you, I am f—ing getting you!” according to the Pine Barrens Tribune. Former police officers and other attendees held the mayor back during an employment appeal hearing involving a recently dismissed township official.
Ken Gerber, the township’s former director of Community Development and a retired police chief, was speaking at the hearing when tensions boiled over. Gerber had been accusing Bianchini’s administration of misconduct before the confrontation erupted.
Video obtained by the outlet shows Bianchini — a Republican seeking reelection this year — and Township Engineer Jennifer Harris staring down critics, including Sawka and another resident wearing a shirt supporting GOP challenger Dan Dewey.
Following a heated exchange, Sawka made a gesture that Bianchini later said was directed aggressively at the mayor’s daughter. Bianchini then appeared to lose his temper and sprinted toward Sawka.
Councilman Perry Doyle Jr., a retired police officer, grabbed the mayor and escorted him into a nearby conference room.
Two police officers, one accompanied by a K9, arrived shortly afterward as officials worked to bring the disorderly meeting under control.
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Sawka demanded that Bianchini be arrested, accusing him of assault and making a verbal threat. He initially refused to leave the meeting until an attorney convinced him to go.
“I want the police here to arrest him for that threat! That is assault!” Sawka shouted, according to the Pine Barrens Tribune.
Bianchini later acknowledged that his conduct was inappropriate but stopped short of apologizing for the outburst. He said he was “justified” in defending his family after months of what he described as targeted verbal harassment.
“I will not apologize for my actions last night. If you attack my family, as that resident did last night, I will act,” Bianchini wrote in a Facebook post.
“My wife and daughter were both physically and verbally attacked. Were my actions wrong? Probably. Were they justified? Absolutely!”
The dramatic clash unfolded against the backdrop of a sharply divided political atmosphere in the southern New Jersey municipality.
Pemberton Business Administrator Rosemary Flaherty defended Gerber’s termination, alleging that he mismanaged his department and engaged in “locker room talk” at work. Gerber and his supporters have rejected those claims, arguing that the firing was politically motivated and linked to his friendship with Dewey.
