Newton Police Department Honors Lt. Muller at his 'Walk Out' into Retirement

NEWTON, NJ – The Newton Police Department stood by for the final call of Lt. Thomas Muller on August 27.  Muller is retiring after serving the Town of Newton for 26 years.

According to the statement relayed over the radio, Muller began with Newton Police Department in 1998 and “has worn many hats and served our community with unwavering commitment.”

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Muller was hired in November 1998 and graduated from the 198 Basic Course for Municipal Officers at the New Jersey State Police Academy in Sea Girt. He was assigned to the Patrol Division.

Muller moved to the Detective Bureau in 2007, “dedicating a decade to solving cases and ensuring justice was served.” According to a Town Manager Thomas S Russo Jr. at his promotion ceremony in 2021, Muller was involved with “hundreds of criminal investigations, was the Evidence custodian and Domestic Preparedness Officer and conducted Alcohol Beverage Control Investigations and inspections.

He served as president of the Sussex County Detective’s Association and earned Detective of the Year in 2010 by the association.

In 2017, in recognition of his leadership and expertise, Muller received the rank of Sergeant and was reassigned to the Patrol Division.  There he was responsible for supervising, training and mentoring patrol officers on his squad.

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He served as Field Training Officer and was responsible for the review of all domestic violence investigations.

In 2020 he was elevated to Detective Sergeant, “continuing to make a significant impact” At that time Muller was reassigned to the Detective Bureau where he supervised and reviewed all criminal investigations for that department.

Muller received his final rank advancement in 2021 to Lieutenant “a position he held with pride and honor until his well deserved retirement.”  He took his oath at the Newton Town Council meeting in September.

As part of his duties in the detective bureau, Muller worked with law enforcement agencies in Sussex County, throughout New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York. Some of the major investigations Muller worked on include:

• The murder of Angela Bellifemini in 2009
• Lead Detective in the investigation of the kidnapping of Jeffrey Muller in 2010
• Lead Detective in the investigation of the attempted murder of the Novoa family in 2011
• Supervised the attempted murder/shooting investigation on Madison Street in 2013
• Assisted in the FBI’s “Murder for Hire: investigation in 2016
• Numerous major crime investigations, such as robbery, sexual assault, and missing person
• Operation Shutdown” in 2020 which was conducted during the pandemic and resulted in the arrest of 19
• 2021 investigation in which Detectives from the Newton Police Department and Sussex County Narcotics Task Force located a handgun that was stolen out of Georgia.

The final statement was, “We are grateful for your service and the countless lives you’ve touched throughout your career. Best wishes for a fulfilling and joyous retirement—thank you, Lt. Muller, for your unwavering dedication and leadership.”

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