Lakewood Police Officer Patrick Carney has been charged with aggravated assault after punching an opponent in the face during a baseball game.
The charges against Carney state that on June 1st, he was pitching for a team while playing at Veterans Park in Bayville when an opposing player hit a pitch from Carney directly back at the man, hitting the police officer.
This resulted in a fight, with the men shouting at each other before pushing and shoving broke out. Then, Carney escalated the encounter, striking his opponent in the face.
The victim, identified as Ryan O’Rorke, was hospitalized with a facial fracture that required surgery.
The Lakewood Police Department has not commented publicly on the matter and has declined to provide additional information or comment about its own internal investigation into the incident.
According to public records, Officer Carney receives an annual salary of $135,571.