NJ trooper running for Cory Booker’s Senate seat suspended without pay

☑️NJ State Police trooper and GOP Senate candidate suspended without pay

☑️Internal investigation underway, but State Police not disclosing details

☑️Suspension adds new drama to race for seat held by Cory Booker

A New Jersey State Police trooper running in the Republican U.S. Senate primary for the seat currently held by Cory Booker has been suspended.

New Jersey 101.5 learned Wednesday afternoon that Richard Tabor was suspended without pay by the State Police. Tabor did not have a comment about the suspension when reached via telephone and said he would post a response on his social media.

Tabor posted a video stating he was suspended by State Police because of his Senate run and blamed Democrats for being behind the decision.

"I basically got told because I decided to run for U.S. Senate, they want to suspend me from work for running. This is clearly a shot at me by the Democratic Party that runs the state of New Jersey because they do not want me to go against Cory Booker. They are threatened by me, they are afraid and they wanted to suspend me so that I will stop running for the people," Tabor said in his statement. "But I got news for you guys. I'm not gonna stop running. This year we're gonna get a win for the people."

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Rules and regulations say no, past NCO president says

Pete Stilianessis, a former president of the New Jersey State Troopers Non-Commissioned Officers Association, said that an active trooper cannot run for political office.

"Could you take a leave of absence and do it? Yes, you could. Could you resign and do it? Yes, you could. But you can't stay as a sworn member and run for office," Stilianessis said, stressing that he was speaking as a private citizen and not representing the NCO or State Police.

State Police Sgt. Charles Marchan told the New Jersey Globe that Tabor was the subject of an internal investigation but did not disclose details. Tabor told the Globe in March that he was on paid administrative leave but could not discuss details.

Lawsuit over fatal Garden State Parkway crash resurfaces

Tabor was part of a lawsuit against State Police over its response to a crash on the Garden State Parkway in 2022 that claimed the life of David Kilasi.

The lawsuit claims that a trooper found the wrecked Honda Pilot and assumed, after running the plates and seeing that it was registered to a Black driver, that he had fled the scene. The trooper had the vehicle towed without checking the area around the crash.

In reality, Kilasi was 50 feet away with a severed spinal cord. That's where he was ultimately found dead three days later.

New Jersey Globe reported that the lawsuit was settled in fall 2025 but details of the settlement were not disclosed.

Tabor's campaign is gaining traction among Republicans

Tabor, who has served in the U.S. Army and National Guard, has won the endorsement of Republican committees in Atlantic, Hudson, Hunterdon and Union counties.

Other Republicans in the primary are Dr. Robert Lebovics. of Edison, Justin Murphy of Tabernacle, and former News 12 reporter Alex Zdan. Tabor is from Elizabeth. Booker is running unopposed in the Democratic primary.

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