Passaic County Sheriff Richard Berdnik, a longtime law enforcement officer, fatally shot himself Tuesday afternoon at a well-known Turkish restaurant in Clifton, multiple sources said.
Here is all that we know so far:
Gunshot heard at Toros in Clifton
The incident happened on Tuesday just after 3:30 p.m. By 3:38 p.m., a call went out over the Passaic County Sheriff's Office radio system for all units to respond.
Berdnik went into the bathroom atToros on Hazel Street, and soon after, people in the restaurant heard a gunshot, the sources said.
Law enforcement agencies respond
More than a dozen police vehicles were within a block, including from Paterson police, the Sheriff's Office, Clifton fire and Clifton police, all with their lights flashing. Nearby streets were blocked off. Two helicopters hovered above the scene, flanking the restaurant. Authorities at the scene would not comment and referred all questions to the Passaic County Prosecutor's Office.
Gary Giardina become acting sheriff
Executive Undersheriff Gary Giardina was sworn in as acting sheriffby Presiding Judge Darren Del Sardo of the state Superior Court.Giardina, a longtime resident of Wayne, has more than 45 years of experience in law enforcement and spent the last decade in the Sheriff's Office.
Public Information Officer William Maer said in a Wednesday statement that Giardina met with senior staffmembers Tuesday night and has been working with them to ensure that all members of the department have access to grief counseling in the wake offormer Sheriff Richard Berdnik's death on Tuesday afternoon.
- David Zimmer
Berdnik before his death
Passaic County SheriffRichard Berdnikseemed at ease when he entered the Toros restaurant on Hazel Street in Clifton on Tuesday afternoon, according to sources who were there.
Accompanied by Undersheriff Nart Hapatsha, Berdnik was wearing street clothes when he sat down at a table and placed a food order. He even smiled as he posed for a photo with Toros owner Huseyin Bayram, who earlier in the day was honored with a key to the city in a ceremony at the Paterson mayor’s office.
Colleagues and friends were searching for answers on Wednesday about what could have happened to transform within a matter of minutes a somewhat festive scene into a deadly one.
- Joe Malinconico and Matt fa*gan
Chaplain providing solace
Father Patrick Ryan, chaplain for the Passaic County Sheriff's Department and the Passaic County Board of County Commissioners, said Wednesday that people have reached out to him looking for counseling and answers. He said people are "grappling with this news" and "they just don't know what to do with it." Ryan said he tells them "God is always closest to those who suffer" and that "God sees through the darkness that surrounds anyone."
He has known Berdnik for many years and was appointed department chaplain by him in 2011.
Ryan said a county commissioner reached out to him, and said he is in disbelief and that he "just doesn't know what to do with this." He said a few department officers have also reached out for counseling. The department has chaplains of other religions as well so everyone can seek counseling.
He said at a time like this we all feel helpless and wonder if there was something we could have done, that's a normal reaction. He said some people, after they hear something like this will start living life to the fullest and try to help others more.
- Albina Sportelli
Outside Berdnik's home
Two vehicles from the Passaic County Sheriff's Office were parked in front of Berdnik's home in Clifton around 3:45 p.m. Wednesday. An officer in one of the vehicles did not allow any member of the public on to the property, but he told NorthJersey.com that no immediate family members were inside the house at the time.
- Kyle Morel
Toros the day after
At 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday morning, Toros restaurant, the site of Sheriff Richard Berdnik’s death, was deserted. Thirty minutes after opening (and fewer than 24 hours after the event), not a car was in the parking lot — save for the team’s catering van — and, from the outside, a passerby could have easily thought the place was closed.
A host, visibly fatigued, waited at the counter inside the restaurant. Wandering behind him were four more front-of-house staff; some somber, one seeming flustered. At one point, the phone rang. A team member answered, then abruptly ended the call.
A food order at the restaurant came out quickly. Fresh, fragrant and as delicious as ever, a meal proved Toros’s fare had not — and likely will not — suffer from the tragedy.
The silence ringing through the once-lively space, however, suggested that whether customers will return remains to be seen.
- Kara VanDooijeweert
Officials remember Sheriff Berdnik
Former Woodland Park Mayor Keith Kazmark said he was stunned by Berdnik's death. "Rich always had a laid-back demeanor, truly cared about law enforcement, but was kind and caring at the same time," Kazmark said. "He was so even-tempered.I think that makes this even harder to understand."
On Wednesday the flag outside the Passaic County Sheriff's building in Wayne was at half-staff.
Former Clifton Mayor James Anzaldi said he was uncommonly fond of Berdnik even though he is a Republican and Berdnik was elected five times as a Democrat.
"I can't imagine," Anzaldi said. "Richie was the salt of the earth, my kind of person. My heart breaks for his family."
The Passaic County Board of County Commissioners canceled a regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday night after the news of Berdnik's death.
Paterson Mayor Andre Sayegh also expressed his condolences.
"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," Sayegh said. "He was always offering assistance, and especially recently, with the flooding, 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."
- Matt fa*gan and Ashley Balcerzak
More:'A legacy of sacrifice and service': Officials remember Passaic Sheriff Richard Berdnik
Looking back at the Passaic County sheriff
When Berdnik was growing up, his father — a Polish immigrant who participated in the Battle of Monte Cassino — worked at Hoffman-La Roche on Route 3. He, however, pretty much always knew he wanted to be a cop, Berdnik told The Record in 2010.
He started in his hometown.
He trained at the New Jersey State Police Training Center in Sea Girt before graduating as part of its 175th municipal police class in December 1982. Soon after, he was on patrol for the Clifton Police Department.
He worked in Clifton's narcotics squad, crime prevention unit and warrant squad. He led the internal affairs division, was an instructor at the county police academy and in 1998 graduated from the FBI National Academy's 11-week leadership course. By 2010, Berdnik, a lieutenant, was the head of Clifton's Juvenile Division and its SWAT unit.
- David Zimmer
What we don't know about Berdnik's death
Some details about the events of Tuesday prior to Berdnik's death are not known.
