NJ mayor suspended from being a referee after firearm incident

⭕Northfield Mayor Erland Chau faces a weapons and harassment charge

⭕He has been on a medical leave since the incident went public

⭕His own party has called for him to resign the office he has held for 10 years

Northfield Mayor Erland Chau has been banned from officiating at NJSIAA events following an incident with a starter's gun in a high school parking lot.

The mayor who has held the office for ten years, was charged after he pointed a starter's gun at a woman when the way she parked at Mainland Regional High School in Linwood blocked him from leaving on Oct. 1. Chau was wearing a referee's jacket issued by the NJSIAA as he is a cross country official.

Chau is charged with possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, disorderly conduct, and harassment

NJSIAA spokesman Michael Cherenson told New Jersey 101.5 the organization has suspended Chau from working any of its cross-country matches. A private organization not hired by the NJSIAA could hire him to officiate.

According to the affidavit in the case, Chau took the starter's pistol out of the back of his vehicle to "gain credibility with the defendant." The woman believed the gun to be an actual weapon and asked school security to call police.

The pistol was a "matte chrome colored revolver with a wood grain looking handle," according to the complaint.

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City Council advised to stay quiet

Chau has not commented publicly about the incident and his fellow City Council  members were advised to follow suit.

At the start of Tuesday's City Council meeting, City Solicitor Kris Facenda advised members it would "protect all interests involved" to not comment about Chau or the allegations against him. The city clerk during the meeting's roll call said Chau had been on a medical leave since Oct. 7.

Chau's own party has asked him to step down as mayor.

"This is direct response to reports of an incident involving Northfield Mayor Erland Chau and threats with a firearm. This sort of behavior is completely unacceptable. Threats are never OK, let alone with a weapon. Erland Chau needs to resign as mayor immediately; he is unfit for public office," Atlantic County Republican Party chairman said in a statement to WPG Talk Radio.

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