FREEHOLD – The Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office has a new Chief of Detectives.  John G. McCabe, Jr. took his oath this afternoon in a ceremony presided over by Monmouth County Assignment Judge Lisa P. Thornton.  McCabe was appointed following the retirement last week of Chief Michael Pasterchick, Jr.  Pasterchick served the citizens of Monmouth County for more than 11 years prior to his retirement and previously worked with McCabe, making for an extremely smooth transition, announced Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni.

“John McCabe is someone that I’ve had the benefit of knowing professionally and personally for a number of years and I look forward to having his leadership and experience at the helm of our investigations.  I believe he will carry on the great legacy of talented chiefs we have had at this Office,” Gramiccioni said.

Chief McCabe comes to the Office after serving as the acting Chief of Detectives in the Union County Prosecutor’s Office since September 2013. McCabe was born and raised in Hazlet, and feels as though he is coming ‘home’ to serve in his new role as Chief.  Currently residing in Middletown, Monmouth law enforcement runs deep in his family – McCabe’s father, John McCabe, Sr., retired as a Lieutenant from the Hazlet Police Department, and also was one of the original participants in the Bayshore Narcotics Task Force.

“I am proud of the professionalism, dedication to duty and the accomplishments of the MCPO detectives I now have the privilege to lead as we move forward together to create a better and safer Monmouth County community,” McCabe said.

After graduating from Rutgers University with a degree in accounting, Chief McCabe began his law enforcement career in 1987, as an investigator with the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office.  McCabe became a special agent with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in 1990 and was assigned to the New Jersey Division.  In this capacity, McCabe investigated high-level narcotics traffickers and money launderers across the globe.  In 2000, McCabe was promoted to Group Supervisor and assigned to the Special Operations Division where he directed investigations targeting the command and control structure of the Mexican Drug Cartel.  In 2003, McCabe was transferred to the Washington DC Division Office, where he led a Mobile Enforcement Team and Metropolitan Police Homicide Prevention Task Force into the capital city’s most beleaguered areas.

In 2004, McCabe was promoted to Chief of the Mexico Central American Section at DEA Headquarters.  In this capacity, he managed domestic and foreign investigations linked to Mexico and several Central American countries, most notably implementing the Drug Flow Attack Strategy – a multi-agency, collaborative initiative that significantly disrupted the flow of drugs, money and chemicals from source countries into the United States.  In 2007, McCabe was assigned to the New Jersey Division as an Assistant Special-Agent-in-Charge, where he oversaw two DEA Task Force groups and the entire Northern NJ High Intensity Drug Trafficking Activity Task Force.  Working with law enforcement partners statewide, McCabe implemented an intelligence-led, collaborative, multi-agency initiative to proactively attack the drug threat and violence associated with drug trafficking in New Jersey.

McCabe retired from federal law enforcement in 2012, after serving as Acting Special-Agent-in-Charge of the DEA from 2010 – 2011.

After 25 years of federal service, McCabe was sworn-in as Deputy Chief of Detectives for the Union County Prosecutor’s Office in July 2012.  The following year, McCabe assumed the role of Acting Chief of Detectives under the leadership of Acting Prosecutor Grace Park.  During his tenure with Union County, McCabe was responsible for the daily operations of all detectives within the Investigations Division, where he supervised the planning and direction of investigations, and oversaw the administration of investigative activities conducted in compliance with state law enforcement programs.

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