NJ Police Chief Head-butted, Dragged Ex-Girlfriend In Hotel Room After Red Sox Game, Officials Say

PASSAIC COUNTY, NJ — A Passaic County police chief has been suspended after being indicted on domestic violence charges, officials said.

Carmen Veneziano, the 47-year-old chief of police of Totowa, was arrested last week following an investigation into a domestic violence incident stemming from a Boston hotel in September.

According to prosecutors, Veneziano and the victim traveled to Boston to attend a Red Sox baseball game on Sept. 13.

Late that night, the pair got into a verbal argument in their hotel room, according to Assistant District Attorney Ian Polumbaum. Veneziano left the room and was gone for several hours, officials said.

He returned around 3:30 a.m. to find that he'd been locked out of his room, Polumbaum said.

After waiting in the hallway for half an hour, "demanding to be let in," hotel security let him back into his room. That's when Veneziano became "physically abusive" between 3:30 and 5 a.m. on Sept. 14, according to prosecutors.

Officials said Veneziano headbutted the woman, dragged her by her feet, pinned her down to the bed, and prevented her from leaving the room.

Veneziano also "applied painful 'pressure points' on the victim's body and threw water on her," Polumbaum said.

The woman eventually called the lobby asking for a room change, and hotel security returned with Boston police.

Neither party disclosed any physical abuse at that point, and police were told that Veneziano would be getting in an Uber back to New Jersey, Polumbaum said.

The next morning, however, Veneziano saw his girlfriend getting into her car, and he also got in the car and drove back to New Jersey together.

It wasn't until a few days later that the women called Boston police to tell them "what actually happened" in that hotel room, authorities said.

Officials added that while the pair were separated once returning from the trip, a few texts were exchanged. One exchange involved the woman mentioning the abuse, to which Veneziano replied with "sarcastic comments," according to Polumbaum.

It was on Friday when the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office put out a warrant for Veneziano’s arrest. He was taken to Bergen County jail without incident and later extradited back to Massachusetts, where he was charged with kidnapping and three counts of domestic assault and battery.

It was also Friday when Totowa Mayor John Coiro decided to suspend Veneziano without pay. An interim police chief will be announced soon, the mayor said.

On Monday, Veneziano was held on $25,000 bail and also ordered to stay away from the victim and her town of residence and to be fitted with a GPS tracking bracelet.

During the arraignment, Veneziano's defense attorney called him a "role model" and "a community leader."

Veneziano "adamantly denies" these charges, and is scheduled to appear back in Massachusetts court on Feb. 10.