Former Cop Handed 30-Year Prison Term for Killing Ex-Wife

FREEHOLD – Former Neptune Township Police Officer Philip Seidle was sentenced to 30 years in prison today for the brutal killing of his estranged wife last year, announced Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni.

Seidle, 51, of Neptune Township, was sentenced to 30 years in a New Jersey state prison, on one count first degree Aggravated Manslaughter, subject to the provisions of the “No Early Release Act” (NERA) requiring him to serve 85 percent of the sentence imposed, or 25 years and six months, before he is eligible for parole. Seidle was also handed a 5-year concurrent sentence for second degree Endangering the Welfare of a Child by Monmouth County Superior Court Judge Joseph W. Oxley.

In March, Seidle admitted he chased his ex-wife Tamara Wilson-Seidle on June 16, 2015, though the streets of Asbury Park and collided with her vehicle during that chase causing her vehicle to collide with a second vehicle on Sewell Avenue in Asbury Park. Seidle also admitted he exited his vehicle following the crash and shot his ex-wife 12 times as she sat inside her vehicle on Sewell Avenue. He further admitted, the shooting caused Tamara’s death, and that he committed the crime while his then-7- year-old daughter sat nearby inside his vehicle.

Philip Seidle, a 22-year veteran of the Neptune Township Police Department, was first hired as a patrolman on July 1, 1993, and has held the rank of sergeant in the Patrol Division since his promotion on Jan. 1, 2009. Seidle is currently suspended from his post without pay.

Asbury Park police responded to a report of an unrelated motor vehicle accident near the intersection of Ridge and Sewall Avenues in the city at approximately 11:26 a.m. on June 16, 2015. During that service call, the black 2012 Volkswagen Jetta, driven by Tamara Seidle, turned the corner onto Sewall Avenue before crashing into a parked 2002 Ford Focus. The Jetta was being followed closely by the 2005 Honda Pilot driven by Philip Seidle, who exited the vehicle, pulled out a handgun and approached the driver’s side of the Jetta. Philip Seidle fired multiple shots into the vehicle, striking Tamara Seidle. Philip Seidle then turned the weapon on himself, pointing the weapon at his head, before moving to the front of the Jetta and firing several more shots into the windshield of the vehicle.

After firing the second round of shot-bursts, Philip Seidle returned the weapon to his head prompting a stand-off with on-scene police officers from the Asbury Park and Neptune Township police departments. The stand-off with Seidle ended around 12:17 p.m. when he surrendered and was taken into custody. In addition to officers from the Asbury Park and Neptune Township police departments, investigators from the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Marshal’s Service responded to the scene.

During that service call, the black 2012 Volkswagen Jetta, driven by Tamara Seidle, turned the corner onto Sewall Avenue before crashing into a parked 2002 Ford Focus. The Jetta was being followed closely by the 2005 Honda Pilot driven by Philip Seidle, who exited the vehicle, pulled out a handgun and approached the driver’s side of the Jetta. Philip Seidle fired multiple shots into the vehicle, striking Tamara Seidle. Philip Seidle then turned the weapon on himself, pointing the weapon at his head, before moving to the front of the Jetta and firing several more shots into the windshield of the vehicle.

After firing the second round of shot-bursts, Philip Seidle returned the weapon to his head prompting a stand-off with on-scene police officers from the Asbury Park and Neptune Township police departments. The stand-off with Seidle ended around 12:17 p.m. when he surrendered and was taken into custody. In addition to officers from the Asbury Park and Neptune Township police departments, investigators from the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Marshal’s Service responded to the scene.

The case was prosecuted Monmouth County First Assistant Prosecutor Marc C. LeMieux and Assistant Prosecutor Christopher J. Decker, the Director of the Office’s Major Crimes Bureau.
Seidle is represented by Edward C. Bertucio, Esq., of Eatontown.

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