Newark Cop Identified, Indicted For Fatally Shooting Man Outside of Union Bar

UNION, NJ — The Off-duty Newark Police Officer who fatally shot a Piscataway man outside of a Union County bar in May was identified and indicted by a grand jury, authorities announce Wednesday.

Joseph Macchia, 35, is charged with second-degree manslaughter in connection with the death of 37-year-old Michael Gaffney of Piscataway, according to acting Union County Prosecutor Grace H. Park.

A physical fight between Gaffney and Macchia broke out at Paddy’s Place, a bar on the 900 block of Rosemont Avenue in Union early on Friday, May 13, according to an investigation by the Prosecutor’s Office’s Special Prosecutions Unit and Homicide Task Force, the Union County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Unit, the Union County Police Department Ballistics Unit, and the Union Township Police Department.

After several minutes, Macchia and Gaffney separated from one another. However, several minutes later, they reengaged in a second physical altercation.

During the course of that second altercation, Macchia fired his service weapon multiple times, fatally shooting Gaffney, according to Park.

Gaffney was pronounced dead outside of the bar around 1 a.m. on May 13.

Macchia turned himself in to authorities Wednesday afternoon, and bail in the case was set at $100,000.

As a result of the incident, friends of Gaffney spoke out and created a petition to make it illegal for off-duty police officers to carry service weapons into any bar or establishment where they intend to consume alcohol. The petition has more than 5,000 signatures.

Anyone with information about this matter is still being urged to contact Prosecutor’s Office Detective Kalebota at 908-527- 4567.

Macchia could face 5 to 10 years in state prison on second-degree crimes.

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