Sea Bright Will Not Answer If Police Chief Was Allowed To Remain On Payroll After DWI Arrest

SEA BRIGHT, NJ — It remains unknown if Brett Friedman, the former Sea Bright Chief of Police, was allowed to remain police chief or if he was put on leave — paid or unpaid — after he was arrested in November 2024 and charged with DWI, in addition to other crimes.

Sea Bright Mayor Brian Kelly, Sea Bright borough administrator Rachel Giolitto and current Sea Bright Police Chief John Arias did not answer when Patch asked them if Friedman was allowed to remain police chief after he crashed his car and was charged with DWI on Nov. 29, 2024.

The arrest was only made public Jan. 2, 2026 after body camera footage from Friedman's arrest was published on the YouTube channel Transparency Bodycam.

Friedman was the Sea Bright Police chief when the alleged drunk driving crash occurred. He did not retire until three months later, on Feb. 1, 2025. Friedman was charged with three charges: Operating a vehicle under the influence of liquor or drugs (DWI), refusal to submit to a chemical sobriety test and obstructing passage of other vehicles. He was found not guilty of driving while intoxicated. However, he pleaded guilty to the other two charges.

At 11:39 p.m. on that date, Friedman crashed his blue 2020 Ford Explorer at 766 Ocean Ave. in Sea Bright. It was a single-vehicle crash; Friedman's car ran off the road. Two Sea Bright Police officers first responded, but they called Monmouth Beach Police to respond because Friedman is their boss. Monmouth Beach Police handled the case.

Friedman's defense lawyer was Mitchell Ansell, and he is still defending Friedman today, a year after the case was resolved in court.

"Any implication that this arrest was kept 'under wraps' is completely false," Ansell said Wednesday, Jan. 7. "The arrest was reported in the Monmouth Beach Police blotter."

He also said the Monmouth County Prosecutor was made aware of the arrest and charges against Friedman.

However, Friedman's arrest was not widely known until more than a year later, when Transparency Bodycam published the police body camera footage.

"Chief Brett Friedman dedicated 35 years to the residents of the borough of Sea Bright," Ansell said Jan. 7. "He served that position with honor and integrity and retired from that position in early 2025. Unfortunately, in November of 2024, he was arrested and charged with a DWI and refusal to submit to a breath sample. Chief Friedman eventually appeared in the Monmouth Beach municipal court and accepted responsibility for refusing to submit a breath sample. At that time, he was found not guilty of the DWI charge. He did not have his license revoked for this charge as he voluntarily installed an ignition interlock device in his car which has recently beenremoved after successful completion."

"This isolated incident in an otherwise brilliant career in law enforcement, should not define Chief Friedman. He has helped thousands of citizens and touched numerous lives in over 35 years of public service. Chief Friedman looks forward to the next chapter in his life continuing to do all that he can for the community."

In 2025, Friedman pleaded guilty to the charge of obstructing passage of other cars, for which he paid a $530 fine. He also pleaded guilty to the charge of refusal to submit to a sobriety test. Friedman had to use an interlock device on his car for the next nine months, according to court records. He also had to take a class on the awareness of intoxicated driving.

First Patch report, last week: Former Sea Bright Police Chief Charged With DWI (Jan. 2)