Philip Seidle abuse was known to Neptune police chiefs before ex-wife's death: Lawsuit

Tamara Wilson-Seidle, well in advance of her shooting death, notified two Neptune police chiefs about physical abuse by her ex-husband, former Neptune police Sgt. Philip Seidle, according to the latest legal claim filed on behalf of their nine children.

The second amended complaint attempts to correct issues identified by U.S. District Court Judge Michael A. Shipp when he dismissed a previous amended complaint in April.

The new complaint separates claims against the defendants, which include two towns, two police departments, the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office, the state of New Jersey and a crowd of individually named law enforcement personnel.

The wrongful death lawsuit claims these defendants knew or should have known they were violating Tamara's constitutional rights from the time of alleged domestic violence incidents involving the two up until her 2015 shooting death.

The new complaint, posted at the bottom of this story, claims Tamara was in contact with chiefs Howard O'Neill and Robert Adams about physical abuse by Seidle and that Police Director Michael Bascom knew of the problems, but no action was taken.

It also adds detail to claims of domestic discord between the pair and elaborates on the claim that Seidle was acting as a police officer when he killed his ex-wife.

Seidle killed Tamara Wilson-Seidle on June 16, 2015, after a car chase that ended in the middle of an Asbury Park street, in front of their 7-year-old daughter. He is serving a 30-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to aggravated manslaughter.

Seidle described in interviews with the Asbury Park Press the years of trouble that preceded the shooting. That trouble included police responses to at least nine domestic incidents between the Seidles and 10 custody disputes. Seidle described mounting stress at home during the divorce and custody battle, saying personal problems affected his performance at work.

He was suspended from his department at least twice, disarmed at least once and sent by his department for psychological review at least three times.

The Press interview was cited in the children's new lawsuit complaint, particularly to support the claim that Seidle was acting as a police officer at the time of the shooting. Seidle wasn't on-duty or in uniform at the time of the shooting. But the lawsuit notes that Seidle shot his ex-wife with his department-issued Glock and points out that the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office reported that responding officers weren't sure whether Seidle was carrying out police business when he killed his wife.

The new complaint notes that Tamara and Philip Seidle filed domestic violence complaints against each other, and Seidle is the subject of a 682-page police department internal affairs history, details made public by the Asbury Park Press. The Press had filed a lawsuit to compel Neptune Township to release Seidle's internal affairs file.

Andrew Ford: @AndrewFordNews; 732-642-4281; aford3@gannettnj.com