Port Authority chair accused of thwarting NJ sister’s police career – New York Post
A New Jersey police officer has accused her brother — the powerful chairman of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey — of sabotaging her bid for a promotion, according to a bombshell new lawsuit.
Eileen O’Toole, a Cedar Grove officer since 2004, claims she was on track to become the department’s top cop until her brother Kevin O’Toole, a former Republican New Jersey state senator, interfered following a family dispute in November.
Eileen — who had served as the force’s acting boss since 2020 — told NBC New York she’s “100% positive” Kevin personally foiled her bid to lead the department by instructing Town Manager Thomas Tucci to hire someone else.
The siblings squabbled the night before Eileen’s daughter’s wedding, and, two months later, Tucci informed her that she would not get the permanent gig, according to her lawsuit, filed Tuesday in Essex County Superior Court.
She has since had her duties significantly cut, according to the suit, which is against the township and does not name Kevin as a defendant.
“I knew my brother had reach with Mr. Tucci, but I just didn’t think that they would go that far over a personal issue, something I’ve worked so hard for over 23 years,” Eileen told NBC, which first reported the suit.
“His way of punishing me was to damage my career.”
Her brother, a former Cedar Grove mayor, was appointed to lead the Port Authority board by former Gov. Chris Christie in 2017 and has stayed in the role under Gov. Phil Murphy.
Following the pre-wedding squabble, the PA boss allegedly told guests assigned to his table to skip the event entirely, the lawsuit said — prompting “several guests” to “abruptly” leave.
His family beef didn’t stop with Eileen. Their father, Robert O’Toole, who is also a former Cedar Grove mayor, told NBC that his son stopped dropping off food for his homebound elderly mother after the wedding spat.
“Never saw from or heard from him again. No breakfast, nothing for his mother,” the chairman’s father said, adding: “I think he’s an evil person.”
O’Toole also sent text messages threatening to have his sister’s partner Mike Kraynanski, a cop in nearby Caldwell, investigated by his supervisors, according to the lawsuit.
He also defended his involvement in a local real estate development.
“Eileen, I got each and every job, and you can’t acknowledge it,” O’Toole texted, according to the suit. “[T]his outburst will require a psychological exam for you and your current common law wife.”
“I’m entitled to invest in any property that I want and don’t apologize for making money for my family,” he wrote.
An attorney for the Township of Cedar Grove called the lawsuit’s charge of gender discrimination “frivolous.”
“The Township Manager, Thomas Tucci, selected the most qualified candidate to serve as the Police Chief and was not influenced by anyone during the selection process,” attorney Matthew Giacobbe said in a statement. “The township and Township Manager Tucci look forward to vigorously defending this frivolous lawsuit and will seek fees and costs.”
Kevin O’Toole defended Tucci’s “stewardship, dedication to public service, and independence” in an email to The Post.
He said the family feud stemmed in part from “vaccination policy” and “politics,” and that he had been a “victim of harassment/stalking” as a result.
“Some of us (including me and my immediate family) believe that everyone should be vaccinated, while others in my family have very strong opinions against vaccinations,” O’Toole’s wrote. “Without getting into details, some time ago, I sought out assistance from the Essex County Prosecutor‘s Office regarding my being a victim of harassment/stalking. The protection of my wife and my two children is my most sacred priority.”