Former Hoboken Fire Chief Returns After Paid Leave: Report

HOBOKEN, NJ — After placing him on paid leave in May of 2021, the city of Hoboken welcomed back its former fire chief this week: At the rank of firefighter, according to a published report.

Former Fire Chief Brian Crimmins was put on paid leave from the Hoboken Fire Department in May of 2021, and the city has been paying him for two years.

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When he was placed on leave, neither party would comment, with sources citing internal disagreements and political strife.

Now, according to Hudson County View, Crimmins returned as a firefighter on Monday.

Crimmins joined the department in 2004 after leaving a career at Deutschebank.

He had graduated magna cum laude from Boston College, then received a master's in public administration from John Jay College of Criminal Justice, where he graduated first in his class.

Crimmins told Hudson County View this week, "I have an outstanding reputation for honest and intelligent leadership, my commitment to the Hoboken Fire Department is unparalleled. The city’s charges against me are false and entirely political in nature. I look forward to setting the record straight in the near future."

A city spokesperson said Wednesday that the city does not comment on personnel matters.

A response to an email to Crimmins' Fire Department account referred inquiries to Interim Chief Anton Peskens.

Recently, Crimmins' Hoboken-based church wrote a letter to the city asking for him to be reinstated, as he has continued to serve the community while on leave.