Veteran New Jersey sheriff fatally shoots himself in restaurant bathroom: sources
NY Post
A New Jersey sheriff with a long law enforcement career fatally shot himself in a local restaurant’s bathroom Tuesday afternoon, sources said.
Passaic County Sheriff Richard Berdnik walked into the restroom at Turkish restaurant Toros in Clifton around 3:30 p.m. shortly before other patrons heard a gunshot, sources told The Post.
The top cop had held the elected office since 2011.
Multiple law enforcement agencies reportedly rushed to the scene following the self-inflicted shooting.
Berdnik, a Democrat, was a retired Clifton cop who had served as a Finest for more than 30 years. He left the police force while commander of the juvenile division and the SWAT team before running for sheriff.
The married father of four adult children and grandfather was also a graduate of Clifton High School, according to his bio on the sheriff’s department’s website.
