TOMS RIVER, NJ — Internal emails obtained through a public records request confirm that Brick Township’s police chief was placed on administrative leave earlier this year, though officials have not publicly disclosed the reason for the move. The township has yet to comment on the matter.
According to documents released by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office in response to an Open Public Records Act (OPRA) request, Brick Township Police Chief David Forrester was placed on administrative leave on April 20, 2026. In an email sent that day, Acting Chief Henry Drew informed county officials of the leadership change.
“Chief Forrester is out on Administrative Leave. Effective immediately, I am serving as the Acting Chief of Police,” Drew wrote in a message to Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer and other law enforcement officials.
The email was circulated among senior personnel within the prosecutor’s office, including Chief of Detectives Casey Long and First Assistant Prosecutor Michael Nolan, indicating awareness at the highest levels of county law enforcement.
Beyond confirming the chief’s leave, the records provide little additional detail. The OPRA response, dated May 11, 2026, states that the prosecutor’s office located and released documents responsive to the request, with certain personal identifying information redacted. No explanation for the administrative leave was included in the materials.
Records were obtained via a third-party OPRA request through the popular Opramachine platform.
Administrative leave for a police chief is typically associated with internal investigations, disciplinary matters, or other significant personnel issues, though it does not in itself indicate wrongdoing. It could also be related to health matters, however, the township has remained silent on the matter.
It remains unclear whether the matter involves an internal departmental review or a broader investigation. The involvement of the prosecutor’s office in the email chain suggests the situation may extend beyond routine administrative action, but officials have not confirmed any such details.
Neither the Brick Township Police Department nor the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office has publicly commented on the circumstances surrounding Forrester’s leave. It is also unclear whether the chief has since returned to duty.
The limited disclosure has raised questions about transparency, particularly given the lack of public statements from township or county officials regarding a leadership change in one of Ocean County’s largest police departments.
Shore News Network has reached out to Brick Township officials and will update this story as more information becomes available.
