JACKSON, N.J. – Days after Jackson Township honored its first responders who served at Ground Zero, one of those retired police officers is publicly challenging how the township treated him after an illness he says was caused by his 9/11 recovery work.
Retired Jackson Police Sgt. Michael Grochowski said he became seriously ill in 2025 and eventually learned the illness was connected to conditions he encountered while serving at the World Trade Center site. He said the illness kept him from returning to the job and ultimately forced his retirement.
Grochowski now says Jackson Township took accumulated vacation time for the final year he was unable to work. In a public statement, he said he was told Township Attorney Gregory McGuckin had been consulted and the township determined it was permitted to take the time, despite the circumstances.
McGuckin also serves as a New Jersey Assemblyman representing portions of Ocean County.
So it did.
Grochowski Says Jackson Sent Him to Ground Zero
Grochowski stressed that his response after the Sept. 11 attacks was not something he undertook independently, but as a member of the Jackson Police Department’s official response to September 11th.
“Yes, I volunteered to respond and assist with the 9/11 recovery efforts. However, this was not something I did independently,” Grochowski wrote. “My response was sanctioned through the Jackson Township Police Department.”
He said officers traveled to Ground Zero in uniform and used a Jackson Township patrol vehicle.
“If there were a need today, I would volunteer again without hesitation,” Grochowski wrote.
His participation in the response has been documented beyond his own account. Shore News Network reported on Grochowski’s retirement in January, when the department recognized his 28-year career and specifically noted his volunteer search-and-rescue work following the Sept. 11 attacks.
Grochowski retired with fellow officer Fred Meabe. While the town cut Grochowski’s benefits, Meabe was later rehired by the township where now collects a pension and salary from the township.
New Jersey pension records provide another significant piece of documentation. The state Police and Firemen’s Retirement System listed Michael Grochowski of Jackson Township as “Chapter 157, World Trade Center Approved” during its April 2026 meeting, with a retirement date of Jan. 1, 2026.
Illness Ended Long Jackson Police Career
Grochowski said he became seriously ill in 2025, initially without doctors being able to determine what was wrong.
“Ultimately, it was determined that my illness was related to the conditions I was exposed to at Ground Zero,” he wrote.
Grochowski said he spent a year trying to recover and return to police work before accepting that his career was over.
The retirement ended nearly three decades with the Jackson Township Police Department. He joined the department in 1998 and served in several assignments, including as a field training officer and special response team member.
At his retirement ceremony, Police Chief Matthew Kunz described Grochowski as one of the department’s greatest ambassadors.
“I didn’t grow up in Jackson, but Jackson is my home,” Grochowski said during that ceremony. “I love working in Jackson Township and I love being a resident here.”
Grochowski Questions Township Attorney’s Vacation-Time Decision
Grochowski’s dispute centers on what happened to his accumulated vacation time while he was out of work.
He said Capt. Vidalis consulted with McGuckin about the situation and later told him the township could take his accumulated vacation time for the final year he was unable to work.
Grochowski said he argued that the absence should be considered work-related because the Jackson Police Department sanctioned his deployment to Ground Zero.
“Captain Vidalis told me that he explained my position to Mr. McGuckin, but the decision remained the same,” Grochowski wrote.
McGuckin, a Republican state assemblyman from Ocean County, is also Jackson’s township attorney. Official township records identify him in that position, and Shore News Network reported on his appointment as Jackson’s general counsel in 2020.
Grochowski also pointed to an earlier work-related injury during his police career. He said that injury kept him off the job for an extended period, but his vacation time was not taken then.
His Facebook post does not identify the township policy, collective bargaining agreement provision or legal authority underlying the vacation-time decision. It also does not state how many vacation days were involved or their monetary value.
Grochowski’s account represents his description of the dispute. No response from McGuckin or the township was included with the statement.
Recognition Followed by a Public Dispute
The timing gave Grochowski’s post added weight.
At Tuesday’s Township Council meeting, Mayor Jennifer Kuhn and the council recognized Jackson police officers, firefighters and EMS personnel who participated in the response following Sept. 11, 2001.
Grochowski was among the retired officers identified by the township as having responded after the attacks.
“I would like to thank Mayor Kuhn and the Jackson Township Council for recognizing the first responders who assisted with the 9/11 recovery efforts,” he wrote. “I truly appreciate the recognition.”
His criticism was directed at the employment decision that followed his illness, not the township’s decision to honor the responders.
Grochowski said he understands the need to protect taxpayer money but believes the vacation time was something he had earned during his career.
“I would never ask Jackson Township to provide me with something I did not genuinely believe I had earned or deserved,” he wrote.
He ended by putting the question directly to residents: “Do you believe it was justified for my vacation time to be taken away under these circumstances?”