Seaside Heights Police Investigation Into Sergeant's Controversial Remarks Will Take Several Weeks

The internal administrative investigation into remarks made by Seaside Heights Sgt. Thomas Yannacone about Rolo - the dog that died in the icy Toms River early Sunday - will take at least several weeks, Seaside Heights Police Chief Thomas J. Boyd said today.

Yannacone made a number of insensitive remarks in two Facebook posts after the mishap on the ice, including mocking the dog’s death and what he called ”animal loving freaks.”

The department already has a policy in place that deals with use of personal websites and social media, Boyd said in a release.

“While employees have a right to maintain personal web pages and websites, their status as a member of the Seaside Heights Police Department requires that the content of these web pages and websites not be in violation of existing agency policy or directives, or create a potential conflict of interest,” the policy states.

The state Division of Criminal Justice requires that information from internal investigations be kept confidential. So the police department is limited in what information can be released, Boyd said.

“However, the Seaside Heights Police Department takes this matter seriously and will investigate the same,” Boyd said.

The internal investigation into Yannacone’s remarks will focus on potential violations of the policy and other department rules and regulations, he said.

Rolo died after his owner Thomas Mayer, 27, Toms River, took his truck out on the frozen Toms River from the Island Heights side, drove around the ice doing ”donuts” then managed to free himself when the ice cracked and left the scene, New Jersey State Police have said.

The truck was located in six feet of water on the Pine Beach side of the river, after an extensive search by multiple agencies that lasted through the night and into Sunday. Two-year-old Rolo’s body is still in the truck, state police have said.