A former New Jersey state trooper and volunteer fire chief was taken into custody on Thursday after firefighters accused him of handcuffing, groping, and engaging in other inappropriate “sexual contact” during a staged training session.
The New Jersey Attorney General’s Office revealed that Robert Sinnott Jr., 52, previously served as the chief of the Silverton Volunteer Fire Company in Toms River, New Jersey. He was apprehended at his residence in Cape Coral, Florida.
According to reports, multiple volunteer firefighters who had interactions with Sinnott stated that between 2022 and 2023, he engineered scenarios where he was alone with potential victims at various sites, including the firehouse and his own home.
In one reported incident, it was claimed that he “handcuffed them under the guise of ‘training'” and pressured them into engaging in “sexual contact,” as noted by the attorney general’s office.
Some witnesses mentioned seeing Sinnott taking pictures during these handcuffed incidents, as stated in the release.
During the investigation by the New Jersey Office of Public Integrity, many victims and fellow firefighters reportedly viewed Sinnott as a mentor and a role model.
In March, three volunteer firefighters from Silverton Volunteer Fire Company No. 1 filed a lawsuit accusing Sinnott of sexual assault. They alleged that repeated incidents of abuse were ignored by other leaders within the department.
The plaintiffs, all men, emphasized the mandatory handcuffing highlighted by the attorney general’s office and described a “mock police demonstration” that allegedly turned violent and sexually explicit.
Sinnott has been charged with four counts of fourth-degree criminal sexual contact, along with one count of second-degree official misconduct. If convicted of the official misconduct charge alone, he could face up to ten years in prison.
Currently, he is being held at the Lee County Jail in Florida while awaiting extradition to New Jersey.
