An ex-fire marshal faces charges he swindled a pair of Warren County municipalities out of nearly $1,400 by claiming to be in two places at once, according to court records.

David Tynan Jr., of the 600 block of Madison Street, allegedly punched his time card for hours worked as fire marshal in Hackettstown while also submitting claims for payment for the same hours worked in Washington, where he was a fire inspector.

The false claims took place between April 12 and June 7, according to a criminal complaint filed in state Superior Court in Belvidere by detectives from the Warren County Prosecutor's Office.

Based on the bogus filings, Hackettstown paid Tynan roughly $840, according to court records. He is also alleged to have collected about $551 in Washington during the same time period.

Email and phone messages left for Tynan were not immediately returned.

The discrepancies were likely noticed at the municipal level and reported to the authorities, according to the prosecutor's office. Following a months-long investigation, authorities charged Tynan Feb. 4 with two counts of third-degree theft, records indicate.

The 38-year-old resigned from his position as Hackettstown fire marshal on June 28, a position he had held since 2006, according to Mayor Maria DiGiovanni. At the time, Tynan was quoted in a Warren Reporter story as saying he left the part-time position for personal reasons, citing the recent birth of his child.



DiGiovanni declined to comment on the charges, referring questions to the prosecutor's office.

Washington borough manager Kristine Blanchard said this morning that Tynan had "recently" resigned from his position as fire inspector in the borough. She declined to provide a date or comment further.

Tynan comes from a storied family of volunteer firefighters in Hackettstown, including his father, David Sr., who is a former chief in the department. The family told The Express-Times in 2007 it had featured 20 members of the Hackettstown Fire Department, including David Tynan Jr.

While fire officials could not be reached to confirm his involvement with the department, the younger Tynan is still listed as an active member on the department's website.



Tynan had also served as fire marshal for Vernon Township in Sussex County since 2011. Mayor Victor Marotta said this evening Tynan was suspended without pay after he informed officials of the pending charges against him on Feb. 6.

"Depending on the outcome of David's situation we will have to make a decision on whether he remains our employee or not," Marotta said.

Following the filing of the complaint, bail was set for Tynan at 10 percent of $5,000, court records indicate. He is next scheduled to appear in state Superior Court in Belvidere on March 27 to hear an early plea offer from prosecutors.