Toms River Township alleges Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer used his office to interfere in township affairs, influence local politics, and undermine the administration’s authority over the police department.
Toms River, N.J. – Toms River Township has filed a chilling and troubling lawsuit against Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer and the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, alleging years of interference in municipal affairs and claiming the prosecutor’s office improperly inserted itself into local government decisions, police operations, and politically sensitive matters.
According to the lawsuit, Billhimer is accused of using his position as a law enforcement officer to influence a local election and to meddle with the operations of the Toms River Police Department.
The lawsuit, filed in Mercer County Superior Court by Mayor Daniel Rodrick, former Business Administrator Jonathan Salonis, and the township itself, seeks a court declaration that the prosecutor’s office exceeded its authority and unlawfully interfered with powers reserved to local elected officials under New Jersey law.
The case was filed out of the county to avoid conflicts of interest.
Key Points
• Toms River filed suit against Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer and the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office.
• The lawsuit alleges repeated interference in police department management, hiring standards, communications, and administrative decisions.
• Mayor Daniel Rodrick claims a 2025 bingo hall raid was timed to influence a local election and politically damage township council candidates.
According to the complaint, township officials argue that under New Jersey’s Mayor-Council form of government, the mayor and business administrator serve as the “appropriate authority” overseeing the day-to-day operations of the police department. The lawsuit alleges the prosecutor’s office repeatedly overrode or obstructed those responsibilities.
The defendants named in the lawsuit include Billhimer, First Assistant Prosecutor Michael Nolan, the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office, and the Division of Criminal Justice’s Prosecutor’s Supervision Bureau.
Allegations of political interference
Rodrick reserved some of his strongest criticism for Billhimer’s handling of a highly publicized investigation into a bingo operation at Holiday City. The office made a spectacle over an alleged crime committed by two of Rodrick’s allies. With media in tow, Billhimer’s officers ‘raided’
“Bilhimer, a far-left Murphy appointee, is not only interfering with our ability to manage the township but appears to be using his office to further a political agenda,” Rodrick said.
The mayor alleged that a raid conducted shortly before a local election appeared designed to politically damage Township Council members who were seeking re-election.
“Last year, just weeks before an election, he orchestrated a raid on the Holiday City bingo hall that seemed designed to damage Councilwoman O’Toole and Councilman Bill Byrne politically,” Rodrick said. “Byrne went on to lose by only 80 votes.”
Rodrick further claimed the operation received unusual media attention.
“A camera crew was already in place, and the footage was quickly released to the press,” he said. “Yet on the eve of the election, O’Toole was informed that the investigation had found no wrongdoing. I’ve never seen anything like it—an abuse of office and dirty politics at its worst.”
The allegations regarding the bingo hall raid are not among the specific legal counts outlined in the lawsuit, but they form part of the mayor’s broader public criticism of Billhimer and the prosecutor’s office.
Disputes over police department control
A major portion of the lawsuit centers on disputes over who controls the administration of the Toms River Police Department.
According to the complaint, township officials sought to consolidate management of municipal social media accounts after eliminating a police department public information position. The administration directed police officials to provide access to the department’s Facebook page to township personnel.
The lawsuit alleges that after the request was made, the prosecutor’s office intervened and warned that granting the township access could compromise prosecutorial responsibilities. Township officials claim the prosecutor’s office eventually relented but later removed Business Administrator Salonis from the account entirely.
The complaint describes the episode as an example of what township officials characterize as unnecessary interference in routine administrative matters.
Radio access dispute
The lawsuit also details a dispute over access to police dispatch communications.
According to the complaint, Salonis requested access to the department’s general police dispatch radio in May 2024 as part of his oversight responsibilities. The request was denied after police leadership cited concerns raised by the prosecutor’s office. Police later gave a police dispatch radio to Baruch “Booky” Kaluszyner, head of the Toms River Jewish Community Council without requesting permission from the mayor or the business administrator.
The department also denied a radio to the mayor, despite giving one to Kaluszyner.
Township officials argue that non-law-enforcement personnel in other emergency services routinely have access to dispatch communications and contend the denial prevented them from effectively monitoring police operations and knowing what is going on in their community.
The complaint states that despite repeated requests and offers to discuss the issue, the prosecutor’s office never provided a substantive response.
Hiring standards controversy
Another dispute involved a township ordinance modifying police hiring requirements.
Rodrick proposed changes to allow applicants who had already earned New Jersey police certifications and gained experience with other departments to qualify for employment without previously required educational credentials.
The lawsuit alleges Billhimer publicly opposed the change, characterizing it as lowering standards for police officers. Township officials responded that numerous law enforcement agencies across Ocean County, including the prosecutor’s office itself, employ officers who would not have met the previous educational requirements.
According to the complaint, the prosecutor’s office released correspondence concerning the dispute to the media shortly after it was sent. It is not the purview of the prosecutor’s office to determine police standards which fall under the Office of the Attorney General. Toms River’s standards far exceed state minimum standards which only require a GED. In Toms River, you must either have a Bachelor’s Degree or an Associate’s Degree and equal military or police service.
Internal affairs investigation challenged
The lawsuit further alleges the prosecutor’s office improperly launched an internal affairs investigation after township officials questioned why municipal administrators had been removed from the police department’s Facebook page.
Township officials contend the prosecutor’s office never contacted municipal leaders to determine whether any actual misconduct had occurred before initiating the inquiry. They argue the investigation involved a minor administrative matter rather than serious wrongdoing warranting prosecutorial oversight.
Historic prosecutor under scrutiny
Billhimer, a former criminal defense attorney and Democratic Assembly candidate who was first appointed Ocean County Prosecutor by Gov. Phil Murphy in 2018, became the first prosecutor in decades to receive a second term when he was unanimously confirmed by the New Jersey Senate in 2023.
The lawsuit seeks declaratory relief affirming that township officials retain authority over police department administration and asks the court to limit what plaintiffs describe as future interference by the prosecutor’s office. The lawsuit also seeks to bar the office from meddling in township government affairs and addresses the issue of election interference.
The Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office had not publicly responded to the allegations outlined in the complaint as of the filing of the lawsuit.