‘The trip went well until it didn’t': Inside the hotel violence that put NJ police chief behind bars

🚨Totowa's police chief faces assault and kidnapping charges in Boston

🚨Prosecutors say a Red Sox trip spiraled into alleged violence at a hotel

🚨Chief Carmen Veneziano was released on $25,000 bail

TOTOWA — More details have come to light about what happened between a New Jersey police chief and his girlfriend that led to assault and kidnapping charges.

Totowa police Chief Carmen Veneziano appeared in an arraignment in Boston on Monday.

Suffolk County Assistant District Attorney Ian Polumbaum told a judge that Veneziano and his girlfriend drove to Boston to attend a Red Sox-Yankees game on Sept. 13. While at the game, they argued and then went back to the Four Seasons Hotel in the city's Back Bay.

"The trip went well until it didn't. It deteriorated in terms of how they were getting along," Polumbaum said.

Veneziano left the hotel late at night and was gone for several hours. When he returned around 3 a.m., the victim locked the deadbolt in the door and refused to let the chief back into their room. He stood in the hallway for about half an hour, demanding to be let in. When hotel security arrived, the woman agreed that he could enter the room.

"The evidence is after that is that he became not just verbally insulting again, but physically abusive by headbutting her, by dragging her by her legs by holding her down on the bed, preventing her from leaving the room or even leaving the bed, applying which she described as pressure points to her body that were painful, and also throwing water on her," Polumbaum said.

Mayor John Coiro suspended Veneziano without pay and will name an interim chief.

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Text messages, denial of allegations and court-ordered restrictions

The woman was eventually able to call the front desk. Hotel security returned and as they were making arrangements to get her another room, they overheard her say that he had hurt her. The comment prompted a call to police. Polumbaum said the victim did not mention being hurt directly to security.

Officers thought Veneziano was going to take an Uber back to New Jersey but they drove back to New Jersey together instead. They have not spoken since, according to Polumbaum.

"There was some text messages back and forth, including one exchange in which she confronted him by text about him as having been physically abusive, and his response was not to directly acknowledge or deny it, but just make some sarcastic comments," Polumbaum said. "She also called the Boston Police Department several days after this happened."

Veneziano's attorney, Paolo Corso, denied the allegation and said there were "members and friends" in the courtroom who traveled from New Jersey to support him.

"They describe him as a role model and a community leader in the town of Totowa, where he comes from," Corso said. "He self-reported to (the Passaic County Prosecutor's Office), self-surrendered, waived extradition, hired counsel and is here today to face these charges."

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DWI at the Jersey Shore

Corso mentioned that Veneziano has a clean record except for a DWI from earlier in the year, a reference to reports that he was charged in Point Pleasant in February.

Bail was set at $25,000, and a pre-trial conference was set for Feb. 9. Polumbaum was also ordered to stay away from the victim and her hometown, which was not disclosed. He was fitted with a GPS tracking device. A trial date was set for Oct. 9.

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