Passaic County Prosecutor's Office releases Sheriff Richard Berdnik investigation results

Nearly six months after the death of Passaic County Sheriff Richard Berdnik, the Passaic County Prosecutors Office said the investigation is complete and the cause of death was suicide by gun.

The Passaic County Prosecutor's Office determined the popular sheriff died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head in January, reads an email from First Assistant Prosecutor Jason Statuto.

"Based on the final report from the medical examiner, " Statuto's email reads, "Sheriff Berdnik’s cause of death was determined to be 'gunshot wound of head,' and the manner of death was determined to be “suicide (shot self)."

Statuto said the toxicology reports, which law enforcement officials have said can often take up to six months to complete, indicate "negative findings."

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Moreover, the first assistant prosecutor said the investigation of the incident "at Toro’s (restaurant) on Jan. 23, 2024 has not produced any evidence that would call into question these determinations by the medical examiner."

NorthJersey.com has requested the reports from the Prosecutor's Office through the Open Public Records Act. It is not clear when the investigation was completed.

Statuto did not state a reason why Berdnik shot himself or if there is, or was, an investigation into the motive.

Berdnik went into the bathroom at Toros, a popular Turkish restaurant on Hazel Street in Clifton at about 3:30 p.m. and soon after, people in the restaurant heard a gunshot, according to police reports at the time.

At 3:38 p.m., a call went out over the Passaic County Sheriff's Office radio system for all units to respond to Toros.

Berdnik, a retired Clifton police officer, had been the county sheriff since 2011 and won reelection in November 2022 for a fifth three-year term. He was in his mid-60s and the friends and family he left behind were puzzled about what caused him to take his life.

Clifton City Councilman Bill Gibson, who was Berdnik's partner at the Clifton Police Department, said he was hearing about the report findings for the first time from the reporter.

"I am not interested for one second in why he did it," Gibson said on Tuesday. "If the Prosecutor's Office or attorney general want us to know, they will let us know."

Gibson said it is important to let his family grieve and not reopen the wounds.

"What I want is for his wife, kids and grandkids to get on with their lives," Gibson said.

Gibson was among the many who mourned the sheriff's passing. Berdnik's funeral was attended by many state leaders as well as first responders from around the state.