Video Showing Beer Allegedly In Lakewood Chief's Car Probed

LAKEWOOD, NJ — The Ocean County prosecutor's office is investigating a video posted to social media that shows an open can of beer, allegedly in the vehicle of Lakewood Police Chief Gregory Meyer.

The video was posted to Facebook by New Jersey Corruption Watch, a website focused on reporting on political corruption in New Jersey. The video was received from an anonymous source, the website said.

"We’re looking into the origin and authenticity of the video," said Al Della Fave, spokesman for the prosecutor's office.

The video shows an open can of beer and a slice of pizza inside a vehicle that is alleged to be Meyer's township-issued police vehicle. No people are seen in the video, which shows Romeo's Pizza at Raintree Plaza in Freehold.

New Jersey Corruption Watch said the video was posted to Snapchat by a user named gregory213. Meyer's badge number is 213. The video allegedly was taken about 5 p.m. on Sept. 7.

Requests for comment from Meyer and from Capt. Gregory Staffordsmith, the Lakewood Police Department spokesman, were not answered.

The Lakewood Police Department faced scrutiny from the prosecutor's office earlier this year over its handling of internal affairs investigations. That led to changes in the department, Meyer said in message posted on the department's website, including assigning experienced officers to conduct the investigations.

Click here to get Patch email notifications on this or other local news articles or get Patch breaking news alerts sent right to your phone with our new app. Download here. Have a news tip? Email karen.wall@patch.com

Follow us on Facebook. Click here to like our page.

Police Chief Gregory H. Meyer, photo via Lakewood Police Department website