A former police officer from New Jersey has been handed a lifetime ban from working in any law enforcement role within the state after she launched a violent attack on her ex-boyfriend's home.
A Violent Home Invasion
Rebecca Sayegh, a 32-year-old former officer with the Toms River Police Department, pleaded guilty on 17 November to charges of burglary, criminal mischief and simple assault. The plea deal, negotiated with the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, included the condition that she forfeit "all future public employment in the State of New Jersey."
The incident occurred in the early hours of 25 April, when investigators say Sayegh used her police-issued baton to smash through the front door of her ex-boyfriend's house. Once inside, she confronted both him and his new girlfriend.
Prosecutors stated that during the altercation, Sayegh pushed and shoved the couple, smashed items throughout the property, and caused damage to the hood of a car parked in the driveway. The total damage was estimated at around $2,000 to the home and a further $500 to the vehicle.
Bodycam Footage Reveals Chaotic Scene
Police bodycam footage from the night captured Sayegh in a state of frenzy. She was seen berating the responding officers, demanding to call her mother, and refusing to be handcuffed. At one point, she insisted on gathering her possessions from the home, which she had shared with her ex for five years.
"No, we're going to go when I get all of my s***... Give me a second!" she is heard shouting at officers attempting to remove her. When an officer retorted that they would not give her a second, she erupted into an entitled rant, yelling, "Yes you are!"
After eventually being restrained, the footage appears to show Sayegh threatening her ex-boyfriend, saying, "I'm going to f***ing burn your house down next, you piece of s***." She then incongruously added, "At least my hair is nice today."
Legal Repercussions and Pending Sentencing
Sayegh, who had served nine years with the Toms River force, was suspended without pay immediately following her arrest. She was initially released from Ocean County Jail under New Jersey’s bail reform system.
As part of her plea agreement, she must have no further contact with the victims and pay restitution. Prosecutors are seeking a 180-day jail sentence when she is formally sentenced on 26 January 2026.
The home invasion occurred just six months after Sayegh filed a lawsuit against the Toms River Police Department. In that suit, she alleged she was sexually harassed by her former captain, Shaun O’Keefe, and claimed the department operated as a misogynistic "boys' club" that passed her over for promotions.
The specific claims against O’Keefe were dismissed by a judge on 11 April after his lawyers argued they were filed after the statute of limitations had expired. O’Keefe has denied all allegations. The wider lawsuit against the police department, alleging a toxic and sexist culture, remains pending.
Ironically, Sayegh was publicly praised by her department in February 2021 for heroically rescuing a person from a burning home, an act that was highlighted at the time.
