3 Officers Promoted In Manchester Township Ceremony

MANCHESTER, NJ — The Manchester Township Police Department promoted three officers and had two others who were sworn in to new leadership roles, the department announced.

Lt. James Komsa was promoted to captain, Detective Sgt. David Fusaro to lieutenant, and Detective Joseph Fastige to sergeant in the ceremony on May 15, Police Chief Robert Dolan said.

Mayor Robert Arace administered the oaths of office for the promoted officers, who were joined by family, friends, fellow officers and township personnel for the ceremony.

The lateral moves of Sgt. Christopher Cerullo to detective sergeant and Patrolman Patrick Cervenak to detective were formalized at the ceremony.

"Only those individuals who are truly dedicated to excelling in the service of their community can successfully navigate the grueling promotional process, no matter the position," Dolan said. "Each officer puts tremendous effort into preparing for promotional testing, and our residents can rest assured knowing that a strong foundation of exemplary leadership is in place at the Manchester Township Police Department."

Komsa began his police career in Seaside Heights in 1998 and joined the Manchester Township Police Department in 2000. He earned the rank of sergeant in 2011, and in 2014 was selected to supervise the newly formed Narcotics Enforcement Team. In 2016, Komsa was promoted to lieutenant and supervised patrol and most recently the Investigations Bureau and Narcotics Enforcement Team. Komsa earned a master’s degree from Fairleigh Dickenson University and has completed the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police Command and Leadership Academy and the FBI LEEDA Leadership Trilogy training.

Fusaro began his law enforcement career in 2004 with the Seaside Heights Police Department and was hired by Manchester Township Police in 2007. He joined the Investigations Bureau in 2015, where he served as a etdective for nearly four years. He was promoted to sergeant in 2018 and reassigned to the Patrol Division. In 2020, he was selected to supervise the Narcotics Enforcement Team and soon after Investigations Bureau as detective sergeant, and served there for more than three years. Fusaro earned his master's degree in 2020 from California Coast University and completed the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police Command and Leadership Academy and FBI-LEEDA Executive Leadership Institute.

Fastige began his law enforcement career in 2008 with the Seaside Heights Police Department and was hired by Manchester Township Police Department in 2011. He was assigned to the uniform patrol division until 2019 when he was then selected to become a member of the Investigations Bureau. Fastige earned his master's degree in 2020 from Fairleigh Dickinson University. As an active presence in the community, Fastige is a #NotEvenOnce high school opiate awareness instructor and is assigned as the department’s social media manager. He also assists in organizing community events such as Coffee with a Cop and National Night Out.

Cerullo, who moved to detective sergeant, was hired by the Manchester Township Police Department in 2007. He has worked with the Manchester Township Schools as the school resource officer for four years. Cerullo, who holds a master’s degree from Seton Hall University, was instrumental in the development of the #NotEvenOnce high school opiate awareness program in 2016. He also created the curriculum for the Youth Police Academy, the summer program launched in 2015 to strengthen the bond between officers and the community.

Cervenak, who moved to detective, started his career in law enforcement in Manchester Township in 2007 and has served his entire career in the Patrol Division. Cervenak earned his master’s degree from California Coast University, and has served as field training officer, a member of the Ocean County Regional Swat Team, firearms instructor, and rifle instructor. Among his awards are Honorable Service in 2016 and the Chief’s Award in 2018.