NJ fire chief’s social media comes under fire in racism lawsuit

⚫ NJ firefighter claims racial discrimination

⚫ Social media posts submitted as evidence

⚫ Suit seeks unspecified damages

A Black firefighter in Mercer County said that after reporting racial discrimination, he was retaliated against and forced to deal with a hostile work environment.

Michael Warren has filed a whistleblower lawsuit against Hamilton Township and the Fire Chief Christopher Tozzi.

A close associate of the chief and fellow firefighter, Ray Krajcsovics, also was named as a defendant in the suit.

Warren said on Feb. 27, 2022, at the firehouse he worked at — a volunteer or retired firefighter looked in his direction and said, “Oh, we have a color boy here.”

“Deeply offended,” Warren said he reported the racial slur to a captain in the fire department.

About a year later — Warren took leave for several weeks after a traumatic response call involving a dead baby.

When he went to return to work in August 2023, Warren was notified that he would be required to undergo a fit for duty exam, which included “a baseless and racist inquiry into whether he had any pending restraining orders or criminal charges.”

‘George Floyd Day’ among ‘racist’ social media posts

Warren has submitted several social media posts by Chief Tozzi’s personal pages - as evidence of a culture of racist beliefs held by the township’s administration.

One included the racial slur “n****” as a caption.

Warren also produced screenshots of Tozzi’s Twitter account in which he retweeted statements that included “Happy George Floyd Day, everyone” and “Race is a business-don’t you ever forget that.”

Tozzi and other members of the fire department administration have been accused of “openly complaining” about the discrimination complaint, creating a “dangerous and hostile work environment.”

The suit filed by Warren seeks unspecified monetary damages, in part as he took unpaid leave to get out of a hostile work environment at a different firehouse where he was on temporary assignment last year.

In one incident, Krajcsovics yelled at Warren about the discrimination complaint while they were both at work, which Warren recorded at least in part.

“I don’t need to know the whole story. The guy’s best friend is f***ing black, and he invited a black person into his f***ing fire house. That’s really a racist!” Krajcsovics yelled.

Warren responded “Without knowing the whole story, that’s pretty bold of you” to which Krajcsovics said, “I know enough.”

The suit also points out that a young white female firefighter who complained of sex-based discrimination and harassment was “rightfully so” granted paid leave for an extended period of time, which was not offered to Warren.

“Even Defendant Krajcsovics treated the white female employee favorably, and he did not publicly berate her for complaining of unlawful treatment in the workplace,” the lawsuit said.

An email to Tozzi requesting comment was not immediately returned on Tuesday.

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