Wayne council meeting

Dozens of police officers supported fired police officer Erik Ferschman after he was fired for eating without permission.

(Sara Jerde | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

WAYNE -- A number of retired police officers insisted to city officials Wednesday that the officer who was fired after he was late to respond to a dispatch because he was eating was inappropriately punished.

Dozens of officers attended the Wayne city council meeting where they stood in the back of the room to support former officer Erik Ferschman. Ferschman filed a civil lawsuit against the township last month, claiming he was improperly fired and requesting his job back.

Ferschman earned $86,393, according to state pension records.

Erik Ferschman, left, and his father, Peter, right

Among the people who spoke in his favor was his father, Peter Ferschman, who served in the Wayne police force for 31 years and retired as a sergeant.

"It seems to everyone here that Erik was overcharged," Peter Ferschman said, after he addressed the council.

Peter Ferschman said his son had served in the Wayne police force for about seven years and had been a dispatcher for four years. Ferschman said this was his son's first offense, and that the department could've handled the incident "through other disciplinary measures."

An internal investigation found that Erik Ferschman was eating in September 2015 without permission at Park Wayne Diner, which was outside his patrol zone.

It found that he was dining with four other police officers when he received a call about a person in cardiac arrest and was reportedly delayed in responding, after paying for his share of food and continuing to eat.

The person died before he left the diner.

A hearing officer hired by the police department determined that the offenses were enough to fire him. On Nov. 21, Erik Ferschman was given a notice of payroll change which stated that he was terminated from his position.

"I hate to see my son having difficulties here," Peter Ferschman said. "But we're going to get through it the best we can."

Erik Ferschman, who attended the meeting, hugged his father after he was done speaking, but otherwise showed little emotion as others vouched for him. Erik Ferschman declined to comment and referred questions to his lawyer, who has not returned multiple requests for comment.

Other retired officers who spoke at the meeting painted the police department as a tumultuous place for its employees with ineffective leadership, saying that it was run on harassment and coercion.

The town's lawyer, Matthew J. Giacobbe, said at the meeting that the township wouldn't comment on pending litigation.

Sara Jerde may be reached at sjerde@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SaraJerde.