Police Chief Sentenced to Seven Years for Misconduct and Sexual Assault

Conviction includes abuse of authority, sexual harassment, and exploitation of subordinates over more than a decade.

SOMERVILLE – Former Manville Police Chief Thomas Herbst, 57, of Bridgewater, has been sentenced to seven years in New Jersey state prison for sexually assaulting subordinates and committing other acts of official misconduct while serving as the borough’s top law enforcement officer. The sentence, imposed August 11, 2025, by New Jersey Superior Court Judge Peter J. Tober in Somerset County, requires Herbst to serve 85 percent of his term — approximately six years — on the sexual assault charge and at least five years on the misconduct counts before parole eligibility. The terms will run concurrently.

“The defendant’s abuse of power inflicted lasting damage to his victims’ lives,” said Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin. “Today’s sentence brings some measure of justice to the victims and the community. My office will continue to work to bolster public confidence in government, to ensure the safety of all, and to combat sexual offenses in all forms.”

Herbst, who was immediately taken into custody following sentencing, must also register as a sex offender under Megan’s Law and will remain under parole supervision for life.

A Somerset County jury convicted Herbst in February 2025 after a three-week trial on multiple charges, including several counts of official misconduct, one count of pattern of official misconduct, one count of sexual assault (second degree), and one count of criminal sexual contact (fourth degree).

Evidence presented at trial showed that Herbst’s misconduct spanned at least 13 years, beginning in 2008 when he groped, exposed himself to, and sexually harassed a police department employee. His conduct escalated to sexual assault of the victim, often occurring while on duty and inside police headquarters.

Prosecutors also proved that Herbst abused his authority in other ways. In 2016 and 2017, he solicited sexual favors from a subordinate officer’s wife in exchange for favorable employment decisions, including a promotion, and demanded sexually explicit photos of another subordinate’s wife in exchange for a schedule change.

“Anyone who would abuse their office for sexual gratification and to commit sexual assault will be prosecuted, convicted, and sentenced to prison, as this case shows,” said Drew Skinner, Executive Director of the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability.

The investigation was conducted jointly by the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability (OPIA) and the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office. The case was prosecuted by OPIA Deputy Corruption Bureau Chief Marian Galietta, Deputy Attorneys General Niccole L. Sandora and Diana Bibb, with assistance from Assistant Attorney General Andrew Wellbrock, under the supervision of Bureau Co-Directors Jeffrey J. Manis and Eric Gibson, and OPIA Executive Director Thomas Eicher.