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Veteran Neptune Township police officer Phil Seidle, 51, has been charged with the first degree murder of his ex-wife Tamara, 51, near 11:26 a.m. Tuesday, Monmouth County First Assistant Prosecutor Marc LeMieux [shown above] said. 

Seidle [shown in a Facebook photo at right], who was off duty at the time, is also charged with second degree possession of a weapon for unlawful purpose and endangering the welfare of his 7-year-old daughter, who was a passenger in her father’s vehicle as he gave chase of his wife’s car. 

“First and foremost our hearts and prayers go out to the Seidle children and to the family of Tamara Seidle,” LeMieux said. “The Neptune Township Police Department is concerned for the welfare of the entire Seidle family at this very difficult time.”

The Asbury Park Police Department was investigating an unrelated motor vehicle accident near Seawall and Ridge avenues when officers observed Tamara Seidle’s 2012 black Volkswagen Jetta turn onto Seawall Avenue from Ridge, LeMieux said. The officer followed quickly in his 2005 Silver Honda Pilot.

Asbury Police Officers were witness to Tamara Seidle’s crash into an unoccupied parked 2002 green Ford Focus. 

“Mr Seidle’s vehicle then hits Mrs. Seidle’s vehicle, he gets out of his car, pulls out his handgun, and then he approaches the driver’s side of her vehicle,” LeMieux said. “When he approaches the driver’s side of that vehicle he pulls out his handgun and immediately fires into the driver’s side several times.” 

LeMieux said Seidle then placed his police service 40-millemeter Glock handgun to his head as he walked around the area of his wife’s vehicle. Officers were able to remove the couple’s youngest child from the driver’s side of her father’s vehicle before Seidle fired more rounds through the front of his wife’s windshield, causing more damage to her and the vehicle. 

“At that point and time there was approximately a 30-minute standoff between members of law enforcement and Mr. Seidle while he had a gun to his head,” LeMieux said. “During that time frame law enforcement officer talked to Mr. Seidle….and were able to convince him to put his gun down and to actually surrender.” 

The stand-off ended near 11:52 a.m, LeMieux said.

Seidle, who has served on the Neptune Township Police Department since 1993, was remanded into custody at the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s satellite office on Asbury Avenue in Asbury Park. He has been transfered to the Monmouth County Jail, in lieu of $2 million cash bail set by Monmouth Conty Superior Judge Francis J. Vernoia. 

If convicted, Seidle faces a 40 to 50 minimum sentence, with no chance of parole until serving at leas 85 percent of the sentence. Once realeased, he’d be under parole supervision for a five years, Monmouth County Prosecutor spokesman Charlie Webster said.

LeMieux said the couple, whose divorce was finalized May 27, were in the midst of a custody dispute involving their minor children. The couple, who resided separately in Neptune, were parents to nine children ages 7 to 24. 

The Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Department, the U.S. Marshalls Office, and officers from the Neptune and Asbury Park Police Department responded to the scene. 

Anyone with video footage, pictures, or who were witness to the crime are asked to call Monmouth County investigating Detective John Leibfried at 1-800-533-7443 or Asbury Park Detective Daniel Kowsaluk at 1-732-774-1300.

By late Tuesday evening residents of the Sewall and Ridge Avenue blocks were still trying to process what they witnessed. 

“He ran her off the road,” a female resident of a home directly in front of the crime scene said. The woman did not want to be identified by name. “She lost control of the car and then he fired five or six shots then walked around the front and fired another one.” 

Kevin Barksdale, 43, who works the grave-yard shift at a local printing plant, said the gunfire woke him from sleep.

“I’ve never seen anything like it,” he said.  

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