Retired cop kills himself at Bloomfield police HQ after arrest

BLOOMFIELD — A retired Newark police lieutenant killed himself at the Bloomfield Police Department Tuesday night after a domestic violence arrest, officials said.

Patrick Montella, a 58-year-old township resident, shot himself as police were preparing to release him on a summons, according to acting Essex County Prosecutor Theodore Stephens. He did not say Wednesday how the weapon had been accessed by Montella.

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Montella was taken to University Hospital in Newark, where he was pronounced dead at 1:16 a.m. Wednesday.

RLS Media has reported that Montella's relatives said the firearm was his own. They said he managed to gain access to the gun, which was left on a table.

Montella retired in May 2011 after 29 years as an officer. At the time, the Newark Police Division's Central Ward precinct honored him with a Lt. Pat Montella Day celebration.