Former Nashua Firefighter, Facing Child Sexual Abuse Images Charges, Arrested Again

NEW BOSTON, NH — A former firefighter, out on bail facing a dozen possession of child sexual abuse images charges from April 2023, has been arrested again on violation of privacy and other charges.

Patrick Thomas Reardon, 42, of Barrett Road in Greenville, was arrested on March 4 on breach of bail, possession of child sexual abuse images, 16 counts of violation of privacy, and seven counts of interception of telecommunication or oral communications. According to New Boston Police Chief James Brace, the new charges were issued against the former Nashua firefighter after a hidden camera device was found inside an electrical outlet on Wright Drive, Reardon’s former address, on Jan. 17. Police investigated the incident, which led to 26 new charges issued against him earlier this month.

Also Read

• Former Nashua Firefighter Indicted On 12 Child Sexual Abuse Images Charges: Court Roundup
• Former Nashua Firefighter Had Child Sex Abuse Images Videos Of 2 Missing Girls: Affidavit
• Nashua Firefighter Arrested On 15 Felony Child Sexual Abuse Images Charges After Cyber Tip

“The investigation remains ongoing,” Brace said.

On the same day the camera was found, a domestic violence petition was filed against Reardon in the family division of Goffstown Circuit Court by his wife. On Jan. 30, Judge Suzanne Gorman granted the order.

Reardon was arraigned in Goffstown District Court on Wednesday and held in preventative detention at the Hillsborough County Jail. According to a court document, Judge Carol-Ann McAuley granted a prosecution motion to seal the arrest affidavit for 90 days “as the investigation is ongoing.”

Brace said police in Derry as well as the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office partnered with the New Boston police on the case.

Editor's note: This post was derived from information supplied by the New Boston Police and does not indicate a conviction. This link explains the removal request process for New Hampshire Patch police reports.

Reardon was out on bail after being arrested in late April 2023 by Derry police on 15 counts of possession of child sexual abuse images charges.

At the time, Reardon had been a firefighter for about nine years in Nashua and owned a plumbing and heating company in New Boston. He was fired from the Nashua Fire Department not long after the arrest.

The multi-week investigation of the case came after officials received two cyber tips. According to an affidavit, Reardon was accused of possessing 199 child sexual abuse material files on his cellphone in the initial stages of the investigation, including more than 100 videos. Two of the girls featured in the material were identified later as missing girls by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Reardon was initially charged in two separate jurisdictions and had two active cases in North and South Hillsborough County superior courts. After five days of surveillance, he was arrested while parked on a road in Hollis. Videos and photos were also allegedly found at his home in New Boston.

Along with Derry police, officers and employees from the Bow, Concord, Nashua, Portsmouth, and Salem police departments, Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Department employees, and New Hampshire State Police all worked on the case.

In September 2023, Reardon was indicted on 12 of the 15 counts, and both cases were then folded into one at Hills North.

Several court actions, including motions and conferences, delayed the process for nearly two years.

Jury selection was set to begin on one set of charges in January 2024 and later canceled. A final pretrial hearing was set for April 2024 but was canceled. Another pretrial hearing was scheduled for August 2024 and canceled. A motion to continue was approved on Dec. 31, 2024, but a status conference on Jan. 2 was canceled.

Reardon was due in court for criminal mediation of the charges on April 24.

Do you have a news tip? Please email it to tony.schinella@patch.com. View videos on Tony Schinella's YouTube.com channel or Rumble.com channel. Follow the NH politics Twitter account @NHPatchPolitics for all our campaign coverage.