A New Jersey sheriff with a long law enforcement career fatally shot himself in a local restaurant’s bathroom Tuesday afternoon, sources said.
Passaic County Sheriff Richard Berdnik walked into the restroom at Turkish restaurant Toros in Clifton around 3:30 p.m. shortly before other patrons heard a gunshot, sources told The Post.
The top cop had held the elected office since 2011.
Multiple law enforcement agencies reportedly rushed to the scene following the self-inflicted shooting.
Berdnik, a Democrat, was a retired Clifton cop who had served as a Finest for more than 30 years. He left the police force while commander of the juvenile division and the SWAT team before running for sheriff.
The married father of four adult children and grandfather was also a graduate of Clifton High School, according to his bio on the sheriff’s department’s website.
Former Clifton Mayor James Anzaldi told the Bergen Record the shooting was heartbreaking.
“I can’t imagine,” Anzaldi said. “Richie was the salt of the earth, my kind of person. My heart breaks for his family.”
State Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin called Berdnik’s death an “unfathomable loss for New Jersey.”
The sheriff’s death comes amid turmoil in the department, including plans to lay off 29 sheriff’s officers stemming from the forthcoming closure of the county jail, the Record reported.
Additionally, two sheriff sergeants and a correctional officer were arrested and charged last week for allegedly violating a prisoner’s civil rights during an alleged 2021 assault and cover-up, the US Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey said.
The inmate allegedly splashed a mixture containing urine on an officer the day before the alleged assault, the feds said.
Toros’ owner, Huseyin Bayram, actually received a key to the city of Paterson during a ceremony inside City Hall earlier Tuesday for its charitable efforts during the pandemic. The restaurant, which has three locations — Clifton, Paterson and Montclair — gave away 10,000 meals to those in need and medical staff.
“I affectionately refer to Richard Berdnik as America’s Sheriff because ever since he became our leader here in Passaic County, we had such an outstanding working relationship,” Paterson Mayor Andre Sayegh said in a statement to the Record.
“He was always offering assistance, and especially recently with the flooding like he was offering to have rescue vehicles readily available for us.
“I last saw him yesterday. We swore in eight new police officers … He seemed normal, we exchanged pleasantries.”
If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts, you can dial the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention hotline at 988 or go to SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.