TRENTON, NJ — A former fire chief and former police officer from Toms River has been indicted on charges he forced sexual contact on employees he supervised and on colleagues, the New Jersey Attorney General's Office announced Thursday.
Robert M. Sinnott Jr., 53, formerly of Toms River who has since moved to Cape Coral, Florida, was indicted Wednesday on nine counts involving 11 victims, Attorney General Jennifer Davenport said.
Sinnott, the former chief of the Silverton Volunteer Fire Company and a former police officer in Island Heights, was indicted on charges of fourth-degree criminal sexual contact, second-degree official misconduct and second-degree pattern of official misconduct, Davenport's office said.
It was not immediately clear why there were nine charges for 11 victims. The attorney general's office said the investigation by the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability's Corruption Bureau is continuing.
The investigation initially revealed that Sinnott had forced multiple other firefighters, who alleged they saw Sinnott as a role model, into acts of non-consensual sexual contact, the attorney general's office said. The count of pattern of official misconduct in the indictment also alleges numerous instances of similar criminal conduct allegedly committed by Sinnott while he was acting as a police officer for the Island Heights Police Department, the attorney general's office said.
Patch has requested additional information from the attorney general's office on the charges and the allegations.
The allegations first came to light in a pair of lawsuits accusing Sinnott of sexually abusing firefighters.
Sinnott was president of the Silverton Volunteer Fire Company from 2017-2021 and was a police officer until February 2021 with the Island Heights Police Department, serving for 23 years. Sinnott had been on administrative leave from the fire company, where he had held several positions of authority, since 2023.
Sinnott is accused of creating situations where he would be alone with the victims at his residence in Toms River, the firehouse, or other locations. He then allegedly handcuffed them under the guise of "training," or otherwise physically restrained them, before forcing acts of sexual contact upon them.
In some instances, the victims reported that Sinnott took photographs of them while they were restrained. The allegations were detailed in a 92-page lawsuit filed in March 2025 by three firefighters, who said incidents happened in 2017, 2021 and 2023.
A fourth firefighter filed suit in April 2025, alleging Sinnott assaulted him on two occasions in 2023, once placing the victim in a wrist lock and restraining his arms from behind while "pressing his penis against Plaintiff's back." The firefighter alleges that on another occasion, Sinnott pinned his arms, "pressing his pelvis and penis against Plaintiff's restrained hands and back, and bending Plaintiff over a table in a simulation that was overtly sexual in nature and deeply traumatic," according to the lawsuit. Both incidents stopped when another firefighter answering a call came into the firehouse, the lawsuit said.
That firefighter joined the company in 2017-18 when he was 17 and was an active member until January 2024, according to his lawsuit.
The lawsuits allege Sinnott had abused new recruits for years, at Sinnott's home but also "in full view of others at the firehouse."
They also allege Sinnott then isolated the vitctms from the rest of the fire company by spreading rumors and by telling the young men that other members of the company hated them.
The two lawsuits have since been combined, according to court records. They are on hold while the criminal case is pending, according to court records.
Those lawsuits remain in process pending the outcome of the criminal proceedings, according to court records.
Sinnott was arrested in Cape Coral, Florida, on Dec. 4 by the Cape Coral Police SWAT Team with assistance from OPIA. Search warrants were executed on his home, person, and vehicle. He was subsequently extradited to New Jersey to face prosecution.
The attorney general's office did not say when the extradition happened and did not say whether Sinnott is being held in jail or where he is residing.
The attorney general's office said anyone who believes they have additional information about Sinnott's conduct should call the office's toll-free tip line for reporting corruption, 1-844-674-2847, or directly contact Detective Brandon Mastropasqua at 609-960-3768.
"The defendant held positions of trust and power within the communities he served and among his coworkers and subordinates in government. But, as alleged in the indictment, he abused that trust again and again," Davenport said. "It is inexcusable for public officials to so betray the people they serve and the people they lead. The State is committed to fighting for justice for these victims."
Previous reporting:
Ex-Cop, Fire Chief Handcuffed, Sexually Abused Young Toms River Firefighters, Suit Says
Toms River Fire Chief Accused Of Sex Assaults Was Put On Leave, Fire District Says
Ex-Fire Chief Accused Of Sexually Assaulting Firefighters Arrested In Florida
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