WEST ORANGE, NJ — Allegations over missing campaign signs are adding fuel to the fire ahead of a hotly contested mayoral election in West Orange.
The Essex County Prosecutor's Office is probing accusations against West Orange Town Councilwoman Tammy Williams, one of several candidates running for mayor in the 2026 general election.
"I can confirm that the matter is under investigation," a spokesperson with the prosecutor's office told Patch on Friday.
"We cannot provide further comment at this time as this is an open and active investigation," she added.
The allegations stem from claims by Jarrett Seltzer, a local bagel shop owner who has been campaigning against Williams and current mayor Susan McCartney by putting up signs telling voters to cast ballots against them.
According to Seltzer, some of the signs have been stolen, and he wanted to find out who was taking them. So the local businessman hid dozens of Apple AirTags inside his latest batch of signs – a few of which he said were eventually traced to Williams' car and home.
Seltzer recently obtained bodycam footage of an encounter that took place between Williams and West Orange police on Oct. 15, which he received through the Open Public Records Act and shared with News 12 New Jersey.
The video shows local police removing two signs from the trunk of the councilwoman's car: one bearing her name and the other with McCartney's name. Williams identifies herself as a council member and mayor candidate to the officers, and tells them that she has reported the signs to election officials because they don't have a disclaimer about who paid for them.
Seltzer, who recently received a commendation from the town council for his contributions to the West Orange community, has had arm-wrestling matches with local officials before.
Three years ago, a bitter conflict over window coverings saw Seltzer take on the town's zoning department, accusing them of targeting his business while ignoring violations from other nearby shops. Seltzer also criticized McCartney, who said that "in all fairness, we did try to work with him."
COUNCILWOMAN: ALLEGATIONS ARE 'POLITICAL STUNTS'
Williams' campaign team released a statement about the controversy on Friday, defending her actions and alleging that she had permission to remove the signs.
The councilwoman accused Seltzer of putting a sign reading "Tammy Williams: West Orange Deserves Better" on the lawn of a vacant building at 222 Main Street without the owner's permission.
The owner gave a go-ahead for the sign to be removed – and removing a sign from private property with the owner's permission is not "theft," Williams said.
Williams accused her opponents of resorting to "political stunts" to distract voters from her mayoral campaign, which includes a platform of "fiscal accountability, responsible economic development and preservation of green spaces."
"The Tammy Williams for Mayor legal team has reviewed the police reports, and Tammy and the property owner are reviewing their legal options," her statement continues.
The sign and AirTag device were returned to police, she said.
"I'm sure there are investigations opened every day that have no merit," Williams told the New Jersey Globe, which reported on the allegations earlier this week.
"We have an election on November 3," she said. "Let's see what the voters say."
Other candidates in the 2026 mayor race include McCartney, Joe Krakoviak, Susan Scarpa, Joyce Rudin, Phillip Orphanidis, and Brian Rock.
>> READ MORE: Watch West Orange Mayor, Town Council Candidate Forums
>> READ MORE: Race For West Orange Mayor Heats Up: Here Are The Candidates
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