A New Jersey mayor was physically restrained Wednesday night after lunging toward a resident and shouting threats during a contentious township council meeting, according to video and local reports.
Pemberton Township Mayor Matthew Bianchini, a Republican, rushed at resident Michael Sawka during a public hearing in the southern New Jersey community, WPVI-TV reported. Video recorded at the meeting showed attendees, including Councilman Perry Doyle Jr., pulling the mayor away and leading him into an adjacent room as Bianchini shouted expletives and warned, “I’m getting you.”
The physical confrontation occurred while former community development director Ken Gerber addressed the council during an appeal hearing regarding his dismissal, the New York Post reported. Tension mounted between town officials and critics in the audience as Gerber spoke, culminating in the altercation.
Differing Accounts of the Altercation
Bianchini defended his reaction after the incident, stating that Sawka had directed offensive remarks and a rude hand gesture toward the mayor’s wife and daughter, who were seated in the back of the council room.
“I just basically snapped,” Bianchini told WPVI, adding, “Don’t attack my family. I think any good husband, any good father, would’ve done just what I did.”
Bianchini admitted that his verbal threats were wrong, telling the station, “That was wrong. It was in the heat of the moment. I’m not gonna get anybody.” However, in a public post on Facebook, the mayor said he would not apologize, writing that his actions were justified after his family faced harassment.
Sawka disputed the mayor’s claims, denying that he verbally attacked Bianchini’s family. He told WPVI that he stayed seated throughout the entire exchange and merely made a hand gesture for people behind him to quiet down. Sawka, an outspoken critic of the township’s government spending, contended that he has faced frequent online attacks from the mayor’s relatives.
Legal Complaints and What Comes Next
Police officers and a K-9 unit responded to the council chambers following the disturbance, the New York Post reported. Sawka demanded the mayor’s resignation and filed a complaint Thursday in municipal court seeking assault and terroristic threats charges against Bianchini, according to WPVI.
The altercation arrives just weeks ahead of an election where Bianchini is seeking to retain his post. Bianchini was appointed mayor earlier this year to finish the term of a predecessor who resigned. The Pemberton Township Democratic Club responded to the clash by urging residents to vote for leaders capable of remaining composed under pressure.
The Pemberton Township Police Department has not yet stated whether it will pursue formal charges against the mayor.
