Bergen County Sheriff Election: Where Do Cureton, Kugler Stand?

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — The battle for Bergen County Sheriff between incumbent Democrat Anthony Cureton and embattled Republican Robert Kugler could very well come down to mail-in ballots.

With all precincts reporting, Kugler garnered 52 percent of the early voting, election day in-person voting. However, Cureton has amassed 30,327 additional mail-in votes to Kugler's 9,880.

Here are the unofficial election day and early voting totals from the Bergen County Clerk's Office:

• Robert Kugler — 104,865
• Anthony Cureton — 96,522

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Kugler, the suspended Saddle Brook police chief, was indicted on charges of conspiracy, official misconduct and corruption of public resources, according to September reports from NorthJersey.com and the New Jersey Globe.

Charges were filed against Kugler in March of this year, resulting in the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office taking over day-to-day operations at the Saddle Brook Police Department.

An investigation by the New Jersey State Police Official Corruption Bureau and the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability Corruption Bureau found that Kugler ordered officers to perform these escorts between January 2019 and August 2020. Use of police vehicles for escort services is prohibited by township ordinance except for municipal government escorts, or for non-profit organizations, according to the AG's Office.

These officers conducted escorts during their regular shifts, and escorted funeral processions to cemeteries both in and outside of Saddle Brook. Kugler Funeral Home didn't reimburse the township for these escorts, the AG's Office said.

However, those charges didn't stop Kugler from garnering support from the Bergen County GOP, who endorsed the embattled police chief in April.

All results in this race are still unofficial, and won't be finalized until they are certified by the Bergen County Clerk.

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