A Kearny man who threatened to kill several people — and who even had a conversation with someone where he detailed who he’d murder and how he’d kill them — was back out of jail the very next day, where he went on a second spree of utter destruction, the Kearny Police Department said, and while he is now behind bars at the Hudson County Jail in South Kearny, some police officers have surmised he will be out before the weekend, where he could do just about anything.
According to the Kearny Police Department:
On June 9, 2024, a concerned caller reported Brian Chesney, 49, of Kearny, was outside his residence with a baseball bat, threatening to smash out his windows and kill him. Kearny police units responded and found vehicles with windows smashed, but the actor gone. Units also responded to a business where Chesney had reportedly looked for the man he intended to harm.
When the victim wasn’t present, Chesney instead decided to smash up the inside of the business with a baseball bat, causing upward of $5K in damage. Evidence was gathered and charges were generated against him.
Before police units could locate Chesney, the Jefferson Police Department arrested him for drunken driving and other offenses. They also recovered the baseball bat, which was retained for evidence. Kearny units eventually took custody of Chesney so he could be processed on the Kearny charges.
He was ultimately lodged in the Hudson County Jail, where he did not remain for long, despite conversation screenshots in which Chesney explicitly threatened to murder three specific people, explaining he did not care about the prison time he would face for doing so.
On June 10, 2024 — you didn’t miss that … yes the very next day — he was released from county jail without so much as an ankle monitor. (If a person directly threatening to murder people with a weapon and demonstrating his willingness to do so by smashing up cars and a business isn’t jailed to keep the public safe … then who would be?)
On June 11, 2024, again, the very next day, he went back to the same business he had smashed up. A restraining order was now in effect, barring him from entering. Chesney was reportedly looking for one of the people he had previously threatened to kill. Clearly neither the overnight in jail stay, nor the legal document ordering him to be “restrained” were enough of a deterrent.
When an employee advised Chesney he was not allowed inside, he threatened to return with another baseball bat. A witness reported Chesney making alarming statements about harming people inside the business.
Kearny PD units responded and began to search for Chesney, who was police say was clearly out for blood once more. Lt. Jay Ward, Sgts. Mike Andrews and Tim Castle and Officers Andy Soto and Damian Kolodziej found Chesney on Kearny Avenue, drinking a beer. Since he had violated the restraining order barring him from entering the aforementioned business, Chesney was arrested — again. However, as Lt. Ward handcuffed him, Chesney attempted to bite him.
Chesney was forced into the back seat of a patrol vehicle, where his enraged behavior continued. At headquarters, he headbutted Sgt. Andrews when being removed from the vehicle and actively fought officers by kicking, biting and spitting.
Ultimately he was restrained and locked into a cell.
Not for long though …
Soon, his behaviors inside of the cell somehow further escalated and officers had to extract him for his own safety. While officers attempted to restrain Chesney in the processing room, he continued to resist, kick his feet and now began hurling racially charged slurs at certain officers, demonstrating disgusting bigotry and racism.
He spit on Officer Soto, calling him racial slurs, and continued similar behaviors throughout the interaction. The incident rose to the level of being reported as a bias-intimidation incident, requiring notification to Bias Crimes Unit at DCJ, the NJSP, the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness and the Hudson County Prosecutor. Chesney also refused to submit to live-scan fingerprinting procedures and continued his violent, incensed and racist tirade.
Ultimately, the 49-year-old Kearny resident was charged as follows: contempt of court for the restraining order violation, making terroristic threats, five counts of aggravated assault, three counts throwing bodily fluids, three counts of resisting arrest, bias intimidation, harassment, refusal to submit for prints and a violation of the town ordinance prohibiting the possession of an open container of alcohol in public.
On the morning of June 12, Chesney was transported to the Hudson County Jail — and since he was incarcerated on a Wednesday, he will likely be released before the weekend, despite his incessant threats to murder three people. If this isn’t the worst example of failed bail reform, we’re not sure what would be.
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Kevin A. Canessa Jr. is the editor of and broadcaster at The Observer, an organization he has served since 2006. He is responsible for the editorial content of the newspaper and website, the production of the e-Newspaper, writing several stories per week (including the weekly editorial), conducting live broadcasts on social media channels such as YouTube, Facebook, and X, including a weekly recap of the news — and much more behind the scenes. Between 2006 and 2008, he introduced the newspaper to its first-ever blog — which included podcasts, audio and video. Originally from Jersey City, Kevin lived in Kearny until 2004, lived in Port St. Lucie. Florida, for four years until February 2016 and in March of that year, he moved back to Kearny to return to The Observer full time. Click Here to send Kevin an email.