Hoboken Fire Chief Placed On Leave; Officials Mum

HOBOKEN, NJ — The administration of Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla placed the city's fire chief on leave last Tuesday, but city officials have declined to comment about why.

A memo published last week by Hudson County View, dated Tuesday and written by city business Administrator Jason Freeman to the City Council and clerk, read, "Please be advised beginning today, Fire Chief Crimmins will be out on administrative leave. In his absence, Battalion Chief [Anton] Peskens will be in charge of the department. For any Fire Department related questions, please reach out to Battalion Chief Peskens and me."

Mayor Ravi Bhalla's spokesman, Vijay Chaudhuri, declined to comment Thursday on the reason for the abrupt change. Crimmins, who has served as fire chief since 2018, did not respond to an email sent to his department address.

Observers have speculated that either internal strife or politics led to the decision.

Some have cited a political retaliation lawsuit filed last year against the Bhalla administration by Fire Captain Joseph Grossi, who was passed over for a promotion to battalion chief, according to a story in Hudson County View. The lawsuit claimed that a member of Bhalla's City Hall inner circle had said to Grossi — during a meeting last year in which Crimmins and other officials were present — "We know where you were on election day."

Thursday, Chaudhuri would only confirm that had Bhalla named Peskens interim fire chief, and that the fire chief reports to the business administrator and mayor.

"The mayor appoints the chief of police and chief of the Fire Department if there is a vacancy from a qualified list of candidates, with approval of any potential contract by the City Council," Chaudhuri said.

Two council members who are critics of Bhalla's administration expressed concerns on Twitter last week.

City Councilman Michael DeFusco Tweeted that he was worried because the city's police chief had announced his impending retirement the same day:

Councilwoman Tiffanie Fisher wrote:

The firefighters' unions have not yet made any public endorsements in the upcoming mayoral election — in which Bhalla is up for re-election — whereas the Hoboken police superiors' union on Tuesday announced its endorsement of Bhalla.

A story in TAPinto cited sources saying that "the administrative leave is being linked to an apparent internal disagreement between Crimmins and certain battalion chiefs over a variety of issues" and that the administrative leave occurred after a meeting Crimmins had with city officials Tuesday.

Appointed by Bhalla in 2018, Crimmins, who had served for a year as provisional chief before becoming chief, had a long list of qualifications for the job. A post in December by the pandemic volunteer group FLAG Hoboken noted:

"Don't let the blue eyes and the calm demeanor fool you, he is a VERY smart cookie. He graduated Magna Cum Laude from Boston College and has a masters from John Jay of Criminal Justice. He has also authored multiple articles in national publications on rescue, hazardous materials and building codes. A United States Coast Guard Master Captain, Certified Fire Instructor, Hazardous Materials Incident Commander, Water Rescue, Rope Rescue, Confined Space Rescue, and certified in Structural Collapse. He has also been recognized for his contributions by Professional Firefighters Association of New Jersey, United States Coast Guard, and the city of Hoboken."

Mayor Ravi Bhalla said in a Patch story in 2018 that Crimmins had "demonstrated a new brand of leadership." READ MORE: Hoboken Has A New Fire Chief

"He's established new standards of professionalism and preparedness," Bhalla said at the time, "including facilitating training for firefighters to be better equipped in serving residents with autism. I applaud his efforts and look forward to his continued stellar leadership."

Don't miss Hoboken breaking news alerts when they are announced, or get a free daily newsletter each morning with Hoboken news. Sign up with your preferences here.

Got news? Email caren.lissner@patch.com. Got photos? Please include express written permission from the photographer for us to use them. To be the first to get free news alerts with breaking stories in your town, or to get a free local newsletter each morning, sign up for Patch breaking news alerts or daily newsletters.