'Gifted Detective': Retired Barnegat Police Officer Dies

BARNEGAT, NJ — Det. Sgt. Michael J. Duffy served the Barnegat Police Department for 29 years before retiring in 2006. In announcing his death, Barnegat PD remembers him not only for his police work but in his character.

"D/Sgt. Duffy was known for his sharp intellect, great sense of humor, and legendary storytelling abilities," Barnegat PD wrote on social media. "He was a gifted detective who worked some of the most consequential cases in the history of the agency."

Duffy made national news in 2003, when he helped arrest a mother and her twin 14-year-old daughters who robbed Sun National Bank, according to ABC News. The family allegedly brandished a chrome semiautomatic handgun before the girls ran off with $3,500, according to ABC News.

But Duffy and police were there to catch them.

“Fourteen-year-old girls steal lipstick, not rob banks,” Duffy told The Star-Ledger.

Several people shared fond memories of Duffy on Barnegat PD's Facebook post.

"When one of our kids took out a utility pole about a month after getting her license, he was very accommodating when she told him she sneezed," one person said.

"Duffy was one of my favorites even though I only worked with him for a short time, he was awesome," said another commenter.

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