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Former NJ Police Chief Sentenced to Seven Years in Prison for Abuse of Power

Manville

By: Richard L. Smith 

 

A former Manville police chief will spend seven years in a New Jersey state prison for a series of sexual assaults and abuses of authority involving subordinates over more than a decade.

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Thomas Herbst, 57, of Bridgewater, was sentenced August 11, 2025, in Somerset County Superior Court after a jury found him guilty earlier this year of multiple counts of official misconduct, sexual assault, and criminal sexual contact.
 

He must serve about six years before becoming eligible for parole, will remain under lifetime supervision after release, and must register as a sex offender under Megan’s Law.

 

Prosecutors said Herbst’s actions began in 2008 and included groping, harassment, indecent exposure, and assaults, often while on duty and inside police headquarters.

 

The misconduct also extended to leveraging his position for sexual favors or explicit images from subordinates’ spouses in exchange for promotions or favorable assignments.

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Herbst was taken into custody immediately following his sentencing.