Fire marshal subject of criminal complaint Tynan suspended without pay; awaiting outcome of case
By Hema Easley
VERNON — The township’s fire marshal will have to wait for the outcome of a criminal case against him in another county to find out if he will keep his job with the municipality.
David Tynan Jr., who also is the township’s fire inspector, was suspended without pay Feb. 6 after Vernon officials discovered he was the subject of a criminal complaint in Warren County. Tynan, who also worked as the fire marshal in Hackettstown and as a fire inspector in Washington, has been accused of submitting claims for hours worked as a fire marshal in Hackettstown while claiming to have been working the same hours as a fire inspector in Washington.
Tynan couldn't immediately be reached for comment.
According to a criminal complaint filed by the Warren County Prosecutor’s office, Tynan swindled Hackettstown out of $838.27 and Washington out of $551.25. The alleged false claims took place between April 12, 2013, and June 7, 2013.
He has been charged with third-degree theft. He was released on $5,000 bail.
Tynan drew a salary of $59,000 per year in Vernon. He worked part-time in Hackettstown and Washington.
According to the Sussex County Prosecutor’s Office, a preliminary review by his counterparts in Warren County concluded that Tynan had not cheated Vernon out of money. An investigation by the Vernon Township Police Department is ongoing, according to Greg Mueller, first assistant prosecutor in Sussex.
Vernon Business Administrator William Zuckerman declined to comfirm the investigation saying it was a personnel matter.
If Tynan is found guilty in Warren County, he will lose his job in Vernon.
He “would be barred from obtaining future public employment in New Jersey,” Mueller said.
Tynan is scehduled to appear in Warren County Superior Court on March 27, where he will be offered a plea disposition, Warren County Prosecutor Richard Burke saidd. If an agreement is not reached, the matter would go to a grand jury and trial.
If found guilty, Tynan could potentially face 3 to 5 years in prison and fines, Burke said.