NJ school official took guns while going to ‘take care of’ his paramour’s husband, cops say

☑️ Middletown BOE member Joseph Fitzgerald was stopped with 3 weapons

☑️ He told his wife he was going to "take care of" his girlfriend's husband

☑️Fitzgerald's wife called police

MIDDLETOWN — An affair may have driven a township Board of Education member to travel with an unregistered weapon to confront his paramour's husband.

The new information came out during a detention hearing on Wednesday after he spent eight days in the Monmouth County jail.

Joseph Fitzgerald, a conservative politician who was elected on a family values platform and is seeking a second term this year, was arrested with four weapons, including an unregistered Ruger LCP pistol and two stun guns, during a traffic stop on June 30.

He was en route to an "altercation" with an unspecified person, investigators initially said.

During a detention hearing on Wednesday, Assistant County Prosecutor Jessica Layton told Superior Court Judge Vincent N. Falcetano that Fitzgerald and his wife are going through a separation because of his affair with another woman.

The husband of his paramour called Fitzgerald's wife to ask her what kind of vehicle Fitzgerald drove.

After being told it was a blue pickup with an American flag in the back, the husband said he had been followed by a pickup with that description into the parking lot of the Acme supermarket in the Lincroft section.

Fitzgerald and his wife got into an argument when she called him. Fitzgerald said he was "going to take care of this right now." His wife then called the other woman's husband and warned him that Joseph was armed, as she noticed weapons missing from the safe in their bedroom.

Atlantic Highlands police stopped Fitzgerald and searched his pickup. During their search, they found the Ruger, which contained six rounds, and the other weapons, Layton said.

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Guns removed to protect wife

Fitzgerald's public defender, Lisa Maglone, said Fitzgerald only removed the weapons from the home because he didn't want his wife to hurt herself.

"He never had any intention to take these weapons and use them against anybody," Maglone said. "There has been a time in the past when Joseph's wife has threatened to harm herself, and so when she was acting this erratic, after days of this going on, he was concerned, and that's why he took those."

Maglone said that he owns the weapons legally but does not have a carry permit.

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'Acting on emotion'

In making the case for Fitzgerald to be released, Maglone presented Falcetano with letters from members of the Middletown community, including his sister, to show his strong ties to the community.

He plans on getting an apartment in order to reside within Middletown, as he is required to do as an elected official.

He has no criminal history in New Jersey and owns a business and Red Bank. He is also the New Jersey president of the America First Veterans Association.

Fitzgerald's wife also has a temporary restraining order out on her husband, according to Maglone, who said her client has hired a lawyer to handle.

Falcetano released Fitzgerald, reasoning there was no convincing evidence that Fitzgerald would not show up in court and said he was "acting on emotion."  He was released on the highest level of monitoring without requiring an ankle monitor. He is barred from possessing any weapons and was ordered to surrender his firearms purchase ID.

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