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New Jersey Sheriff Dies from Apparent Suicide in Restaurant

Witnesses say Passaic County Sheriff Richard Berdnik walked into the restroom around 3:30 p.m. followed moments later by the sound of a gunshot ringing through the eatery.

January 24, 2024

Passaic County Sheriff Richard Berdnik died from suicide Tuesday afternoon.Passaic County Sheriff Richard Berdnik died from suicide Tuesday afternoon.Passaic County SO

A New Jersey sheriff fatally shot himself Tuesday inside the bathroom of a popular Turkish restaurant, where he’d just been served a late lunch, officials say.

Witnesses say Passaic County Sheriff Richard Berdnik walked into the restroom around 3:30 p.m. followed moments later by the sound of a gunshot ringing through the eatery.

More than a dozen police cruisers and emergency vehicles descended on the restaurant, which was closed in a bid to cooperate with authorities’ investigation. Nearby streets were blocked off and a pair of helicopters also responded to the scene, according to the Paterson Press.

Authorities have not provided further details, the New York Daily News reports.

A Clifton, NJ, native, Berdnik served the Clifton Police Department for 28 years before he became Passaic County Sheriff in 2011.

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