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Former Middletown Police Chief Joseph M. McCarthy Passes At Age 92

Former Middletown Police Chief Joseph M. McCarthy, 92, passed away on Monday.  McCarthy led the Middletown PD from 1960 until his retirement in 1990.

Township Clerk Heidi Brunt posted the following tribute to McCarthy on facebook:

Truly a very sad day for Middletown Township. Although I have only lived in town 8 years I have worked as the Township Clerk for almost 15 years. During that time Chief McCarthy was caring, supportive, and always a true Middletown gem.

I will miss his calls and his historical knowledge. He was an amazing man, veteran and good to so many people.

In my time I learned the following about Chief McCarthy:

Chief McCarthy resided in Port Monmouth, NJ with his wife Kate he had two sons, Dennis and Joseph Jr. Born in Jersey City, he moved to Middletown at an early age and graduated from the Middletown School System in 1943.

Upon graduation, he entered the U.S. Army and served as Sergeant of the Military Police.

His career with Middletown Township Police Department began on January 18, 2954 when he was appointed a Patrolman. In 1957 he became Middletown’s first detective as he was promoted to Detective Sergeant, in 1959 he made Lieutenant, and in 1965 Captain of Detectives.

On July 12, 1967 he was promoted to rank of Chief of Police.

Chief McCarthy attended the State Police Academy, FBI School, Civil Defense School, First Aid Training and many other courses in Police Work.

Some of the organizations Chief McCarthy belongs to include: Port Monmouth First Aid, Middletown Township Historical Society, The Boys Club, and Middletown Helps Its Own.

Chief McCarthy has received the following honorable and well deserved awards:

CITIZEN OF THE YEAR – Middletown Kiwanis 1964
GOOD CITIZEN AWARD – Middletown Post VFW 1965
VALOR AWARD – Monmouth-Ocean County Intelligence Bureau 1966 in honor of apprehending, while off duty, two men in the act of burglarizing a home. Both men had long prison records, and were considered to be extremely dangerous.
J. EDGAR HOOVER GOLD MEDAL CITATION June 1968
Cited by Middletown Helps Its Own for his Untiring Efforts in 1968
MAN OF THE YEAR – Middletown Chamber of Commerce 1971
SUPPORT FOR POW/MIA – Shore POW Action Committee 1972
HONORARY MEMBER – Village Women’s Club of Middletown 1973
GOLDEN DEED – Red Bank Exchange Club 1973
OUTSTANDING PUBLIC SERVANT – Middletown Township Jaycees 1974

Along with these awards, the Chief has received Letters on Commendation from the US Justice Department, Immigration Department, and the US Treasury Department for apprehensions he has made.
And for his efforts on behalf of POWs from the President of the United States, Richard M. Nixon.
When the Middletown Committee of Police Supporters held a Testimonial Dinner to honor the Chief, the Chief insisted all ticket sales be donated to established “The Chief Joe McCarthy Scholarship Fund” helping Middletown children offset college expenses.
Chief McCarthy retired in July of 1990.

Chief Joe McCarthy has been a friend of Middletown residents for decades and continues to be an outspoken advocate in the Community. Always lending his support for issues that his neighbors face.

Excelling as a local businessman, Chief McCarthy also continues to be well respected and regarded by many. Anyone who has lived in Middletown during the years McCarthy was with our Police Department knows his name and famous reputation for giving his loyal dedication to protect and serve the community who he loves so dearly and the people who love him back.

God bless him always and his family,

Heidi

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Posted: August 29th, 2017 | Author: | Filed under: Middletown, Monmouth County News | Tags: , , , , | 3 Comments »

3 Comments on “Former Middletown Police Chief Joseph M. McCarthy Passes At Age 92”

  1. Tom Stokes said at 2:37 pm on August 29th, 2017:

    Joe, Rest in Peace. Thank you for all of your service to our community!

  2. Gina Mancusi said at 5:20 pm on August 29th, 2017:

    So sorry for the family and their loss of such an outstanding man. Thank you for all your service.

  3. Anthony Cangemi said at 1:41 pm on September 2nd, 2017:

    I had several interaction with the Chief. I always found him friendly and helpful and he always made time to meet and talk. He was a great guy. So sorry to hear of his passing.