Cop stalked ex-wife before killing her, GPS data show

Ken Serrano | Asbury Park (N.J.) Press

Show Caption Hide Caption Tamara Wilson-Seidle mourned in Asbury Park Tamara Wilson-Seidle's children say a final goodbye to the mother during funeral services held in Asbury Park. STAFF VIDEO BY THOMAS P. COSTELLO

ASBURY PARK, N.J. — A police officer who killed his ex-wife on a city street with bystanders watching also stalked the woman while on duty, according to a law-enforcement review of GPS data from his patrol car.

While police termed the behavior “stalking,” it was unclear how far back the alleged conduct went, or the lengths to which Neptune Township Sgt. Philip Seidle tracked Tamara Wilson-Seidle, his wife of almost 25 years and mother of their nine children. At the very least, the global-positioning system data showed that Seidle traveled up and down the cul-de-sac in Neptune, N.J., where Wilson-Seidle lived.

Seidle killed his ex-wife June 16, firing 12 shots from his .40-caliber Glock service weapon at her in front of the couple’s 7-year-old daughter and other onlookers, including Neptune and Asbury Park police. Both were 51 years old.

The revelation casts an even sharper light on how the Neptune Township Police Department handled Seidle, a 22-year veteran of the force, before the slaying.

A department can easily access GPS records for officers’ vehicles, according to a source, who learned of the alleged stalking from an officer with direct knowledge of the Seidle homicide investigation. Documents released to the Asbury Park Press after the killing already had revealed that police had generated 21 reports, some involving domestic violence, involving the Seidles.

Charles Webster, spokesman for the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, declined to discuss the allegation of Seidle stalking his ex-wife.

“It’s not prudent to discuss an investigation in progress,” Webster said.

Seidle was suspended in July 2014 following complaints that his estranged wife brought to the department, according to an affidavit from the officer contained in the Seidles’ divorce file, which a New Jersey Superior Court released last week.

Whether Seidle ever turned in his weapon and badge as is routine in such suspensions has not been disclosed. Neptune Township recently denied an Open Public Records Act request from the Asbury Park Press for documents addressing whether Seidle had his firearm seized.

Likewise, authorities have not revealed whether Seidle was compelled to turn in his firearm after an earlier suspension in 2012. That suspension led to Seidle being declared unfit for duty, according to the affidavit from Seidle in the couple’s divorce file.

While the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office declined to say whether Seidle ever was stripped of his weapon, spokesman Webster said being declared unfit for duty means an officer already would have been stripped of his badge and weapon.

Seidle’s July 2014 suspension stemmed from a March 28, 2014, incident in which his then-estranged wife told police that Seidle violated a court order by coming to their home to pick up his children and harassed her with phone calls. He was given a 30-day suspension, which the New Jersey Civil Service Commission considers serious discipline.

That discipline was meted out over six months, one week off each month. The punishment ended in January.

In the 2012 suspension, Seidle suggested that stress caused from his estranged wife’s call to his superiors, not his own actions, led to the suspension, according to his affidavit.

“This suspension came as the result of plaintiff (Wilson-Seidle) calling police to involve them in our custody dispute, causing me a tremendous amount of stress,” Seidle wrote. “This impacted my job performance and ultimately I was suspended.”

Seidle had moved out of the couple’s home in 2012 and moved in with his girlfriend in Tinton Falls, N.J.

On Feb. 7, 2012, Seidle told his wife he needed to stop by and pick up a Breathalyzer recertification card left there, apparently raising the ire of his estranged wife.

In the divorce complaint filed two years ago, Wilson-Seidle said Seidle kicked her when she was pregnant with one of their nine children, put a gun to her head at one point and attacked and abused her throughout their marriage.

Seidle claimed that she blocked his vehicle with her Honda Pilot. He asked her to move the car, which she did, and then he called his supervisor to report the incident, he said in the affidavit.

I was later told by two sergeants that Tamara told them I went at her in a menacing manner and that she feared for her safety. She also accused me of abusing her, and putting a gun to her head and pulling the trigger in the past. She told them that several police officers had knowledge of what occurred and had done nothing. I was suspended pending an investigation and would be on leave for four months. During that time, I was sent to a police psychologist and declared unfit for duty, not because I was violent, but because the divorce and Tamara’s behavior had taken such a toll on me, I couldn’t stay focused at work.

Seidle saw another psychologist who required him to agree to court-ordered visitation guidelines before he was allowed to return to work.

The stalking allegation will be addressed in the prosecutor’s office review of the homicide and the events surrounding it, Webster said.

“All the details will come out in due time,” he said.

Related: