COP KILLS SELF
Trenton K9 officer commits suicide amid prostitution investigation >>
Warning: This story contains explicit content. It may not be suitable for all audiences.
TRENTON >> A city cop who was under investigation for allegedly having anal sex with a prostitute while on duty has taken his own life, The
Trentonian has learned. Acting Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo Onofri confirmed Wednesday afternoon that Ed Leopardi had committed suicide at his home in Franklin Township, Gloucester County.
The prosecutor had just received a phone call about the cop’s sudden death when he was reached by
The Trentonian. He refused to say whether his office interviewed Leo par dior planned to interview him prior to his suicide.
Sources with knowledge of the situation say Leopardi, a Democrat who was elected a Franklin Township committeeman in Gloucester County in 2013 and also served a stint as mayor, shot himself.
It was not immediately clear when an autopsy would be performed on Leo par di, and the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office said it does not provide information on suicides.
“These are family tragedies, regardless of the individual’s status in life,” spokesman Bernie Weisenfeld said in a statement. “They are not crimes, which are the business of a prosecutor’s office.”
Neither city police director Ernest Parrey Jr. nor police spokesman Lt. Stephen Varn responded to multiple requests for comment on the cop’s death, which left family, friends and colleagues reeling.
As condolences poured in, they had the difficult task of reconciling Leopardi amid a prostitution sex probe that stained his reputation and contributed to his decision to take his own life. Some chose to remember Leopardi’s positive contributions as a volunteer firefighter, a former emergency medical technician and a former volunteer Little League Baseball coach and umpire.
The Rusling Hose Volunteer Fire Company in Hamilton Township, whom Leopardi was involved with for nearly 19 years until January 2016, lamented the “sad news” on Facebook.
”Ed you had a heart of gold,” they wrote in a post. “May you be at peace.”
Retired Trenton cop Luddie Austin knew Leopardi for 18 years. They were part of the same 1994 police academy class and occasionally hung out outside of work. He said Leopardi was a playful person who referred to police colleagues affectionately as “brother.”
“I feel for his family,” Austin said. “I’ m just going to wait for everything to come out in the investigation. I’m not going to prejudge anything. Every body is still shocked. It’s still hard to believe.”
Austin said his former police friend loved his job as aK -9 officer. He built close relationships with the police dogs he worked with over the years.
The City Council in 2011 approved a resolution allowing Leopardi to adopt police dog Tanya as his pet.
He paid tribute to the hard-working canines whom he entrusted with his life in a poem on his LinkedIn page: “My eyes are your eyes, to watch and protect you and yours. My ears are your ears, to hear and detect evil minds in the dark. My nose is your nose, to scent the invader of your domain. And so you may live, my life is also yours.”
Leopardi’s wife, who works for Gloucester County as a housing and community development planning aide and is a vice president in labor union Communications Workers of America Local 1085, was not available for comment.
The Franklin Township Committee canceled its meeting Wednesday night and released a statement saying it was grieving Leopardi’s loss.
“With heartfelt sadness, the Mayor [Sheryl Neely] and Township Committee learned that our colleague Committeeman Ed Leopardi died suddenly at his home,” the statement said. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Leopardi family. We ask that all residents of Franklin Township take this time to mourn Ed’s passing and to take time to express their personal condolences.” The Trentonian reported earlier Wednesday that Leopardi, a 22year police veteran who earned an annual salary of $97,843, allegedly took a prostitute to K-9 headquarters on the 1200 block of East State Street. The details of the encounter are graphic.
According to multiple sources, Leopardi had anal sex with the prostitute. He then allegedly wiped his penis on the headquarters’ curtains after having possible unprotected sex with the prostitute.
Multiple police sources say seat cushions and the curtains have been seized by a State Police crime lab. Leopardi’s K-9 truck has also been confiscated as part of the investigation, sources say. The prostitute has also allegedly provided her panties in a plastic bag from the sexual encounter as evidence.
The Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office confirmed the existence of an investigation on Wednesday.
Authorities were made aware of the allegations against Leopardi after the prostitute was arrested, sources say. The prostitute requested help from Leopardi, he didn’t help and she dimed him out, sources say.
Earlier in the day, Trenton Mayor Eric Jackson said he was throwing his “complete and full support” behind the investigation. When he was reached by phone later in the day, the mayor called the cop’s passing “tragic.”
“My thoughts and prayers are with his family,” he said, “and my prayers are with the city.”
Jackson said the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office was continuing its investigation into the woman’s
allegations after she allegedly implicated police officers other than Leopardi. Their alleged roles in the scandal were not clear.
The police use the East State Street facility to train dogs for various emergency situations. The building is heavily monitored because explosives are housed there for exercises with bomb-sniffing dogs, according to a source with intimate knowledge of the building’s layout.
The authorities are going through surveillance footage to see if the purported sex act was caught on camera.
The K-9 training facility has a notorious, well-known history with city insiders.
According to multiple police sources with knowledge of the situation, cops used to bring prostitutes to the facility while on duty to have sex with them in the 1990s. That was apparently cleaned up for a period of time.
With the latest investigation, it appears city police are back to their old ways.
And the probe may just be starting. The prostitute has allegedly named four-to-five other city cops she engaged in sexual relations with.
Some city cops have told that this situation gives the police department a “black eye.” They hope those tied to the circumstances are held accountable.
Leopardi, who did not return multiple messages seeking comment prior to taking his own life, is survived by a wife, Rene PistilliLeopardi, and their three children.