SAYREVILLE — A former volunteer firefighter has pleaded guilty to official misconduct, admitting he stole nearly $2,500 worth of gasoline and diesel fuel from the borough over a two-year period.
Mark A. Johnson, 43, of Sayreville, entered the guilty plea on Feb. 3 before Superior Court Judge Frederick DeVesa in New Brunswick, Middlesex County Prosecutor Bruce J. Kaplan announced.
Johnson was charged with misconduct last year after an investigation showed he used another firefighter’s personal identification number to access $1,293 worth of gasoline and $1,187 worth of diesel fuel from the fuel pumps at borough hall on Main Street in Sayreville, according to the Prosecutor’s Office.
Johnson was arrested on June 8 after Sayreville Police Sgt. Robert Lasko stopped him on Ernston Road during a routine patrol. Lasko, who is also a member of the Sayreville Fire Department, conducted the stop at 12:23 a.m. due to what he considered a suspicious use of the fire department’s white Dodge van.
In his report, Lasko said he recognized the vehicle and knew that it did not belong on the road late at night when there were no active fire calls in progress. After making the stop, he found five, 5-gallon kerosene containers that were empty, in the back of the van, Lasko reported.
In a subsequent investigation, Sayreville Police Detective Richard Belotti and Investigator Adrian Villegas of the county’s Special Prosecutions Unit determined that Johnson had taken fuel in various quantities over a twoyear period between April 2006 and June 2008 for personal use in vehicles not connected with the fire department.
Johnson faces a four-year prison term under the terms of a plea agreement negotiated with Middlesex County Assistant Prosecutor Brian D. Gillet. He is scheduled to be sentenced by DeVesa on April 24.
Fire officials have taken steps since the arrest in an effort to prevent the theft of fuel in the future. This includes conducting monthly checks of the printouts for fuel pumped by all agencies, and reducing the number of fuel keys by allowing only ranking officers, such as captains or lieutenants in the fire companies, to obtain fuel.
The President’s Park Fire Co. expelled Johnson as a member shortly after his arrest, a company representative said.