In the quiet community of Bloomfield, New Jersey, the life of Patrick R. Montella, a 58-year-old retired Newark police lieutenant, came to a tragic and unexpected end on Wednesday, January 16, 2019. Montella, a male who had dedicated 29 years to law enforcement before his retirement in 2011, was a well-respected figure among his former colleagues.
The events that culminated in his death began the evening before, on January 15, 2019, when Montella was arrested following a domestic violence incident. He was taken into custody and was being processed at the Bloomfield Police Department. It was anticipated that he would be released on a summons.
While in police headquarters, Montella managed to gain access to a firearm. Reports suggest the weapon was his own and had been left on a table. In a devastating turn of events, he used the weapon to fatally shoot himself.
Emergency services rushed him to University Hospital in Newark, but his life could not be saved, and he was pronounced dead at 1:16 a.m.
The Essex County Prosecutor's Office immediately launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident, focusing on how a person in custody could access a firearm. While the death was ruled an apparent suicide, the investigation sought to understand the procedural breakdown that allowed the tragedy to occur. No other suspects were implicated, and no arrests were made in connection with his death. The incident left his family, friends, and the law enforcement community in shock and mourning the loss of a man who had spent most of his life on the other side of the law.
