A New Jersey police chief reportedly faces kidnapping and domestic assault charges after prosecutors said he attacked a woman during a September trip to Boston.
Carmen Veneziano, 47, pleaded not guilty Monday in Suffolk Superior Court to one count of kidnapping and three counts of domestic assault and battery, the Boston Herald reported. The judge set bail at $25,000 and ordered Veneziano to wear a GPS monitor.
Veneziano had been serving as police chief in Totowa, New Jersey. He has held the position since 2020, according to CBS News.
The Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office said Veneziano and the victim traveled to Boston to attend a Red Sox game. They then returned to their hotel and got into an argument, according to Assistant District Attorney Ian Polumbaum. Veneziano allegedly left the room but came back at about 3 a.m. demanding to be allowed back inside. (RELATED: Accused NYC Crypto Bros Allegedly Held Another Tourist Hostage At Drug-Fueled Kentucky Party: Report)
Totowa, New Jersey’s police chief allegedly attacked his girlfriend at a hotel in Boston during a trip for a Yankees-Red Sox game, prosecutors say. @csloantv reports. https://t.co/YR9aCtIcyC
— CBS New York (@CBSNewYork) December 22, 2025
Hotel security responded and the woman let him back inside, after which the assault started, authorities alleged.
“He became not just verbally insulting again, but physically abusive, by head butting her, by dragging her by her legs, by holding her down on the bed, preventing her from leaving the room or even leaving the bed,” Polumbaum alleged.
The woman called the front desk and staff allegedly contacted police after hearing her say “you hurt me.” She did not disclose physical abuse to responding officers but contacted Boston Police days later to report what happened, authorities said.
Venezianos’s lawyer, Paolo Corso, called his client a “role model and a community leader.”
“Mr. Veneziano maintains his innocence and he looks forward to addressing these allegations in court,” the attorney said, according to CBS News.
Totowa Mayor John Coiro suspended Veneziano without pay following his arrest, according to a Facebook post. Court records showed Veneziano faced DUI and reckless driving charges in New Jersey earlier this year, CBS News reported.
His trial is expected in October.
Coiro told the Daily Caller the town is set to appoint an acting police chief Dec. 26. He also said the town’s council previously suspended Veneziano for the DUI case following a required administrative delay.
The Caller has reached out to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office for comment.