West Long Branch firefighter charged with falsifying and destroying official documents

61-year-old West Long Branch firefighter Ronald Guidetti has been charged with falsifying and destroying official documents.

Monmouth County District Attorney Raymond S. Santiago announced that Guidetti, of Long Branch, has been charged with third-degree perjury, third-degree forgery and fourth-degree falsifying or tampering with records.

The investigation, conducted earlier this year by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, was initiated in response to concerns about the authenticity of two training certificates held by a firefighter from West Long Branch Fire Company No. 2.

The investigation revealed that Guidetti created the forged certificates in response to a request submitted to the Fire Company under the Open Public Records Act (OPRA). It was further determined that Guidetti removed and destroyed the certificates from the records system after complying with the request.

Guidetti surrendered to authorities and was charged via summons. He was released on his own recognizance pending future proceedings in Monmouth County Superior Court.

According to his Facebook page, Guidetti retired from his position as federal fire chief at Picatinny Arsenal and the Fort Monmouth Fire Department. He now works as a heavy equipment truck driver in Long Branch.

Assistant Prosecutor Lawrence Nelsen, director of the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office Financial Crimes/Special Prosecutions Unit, is prosecuting the case. Guidetti is represented by attorney Robert A. Honecker, Jr., of Ocean Township.

Despite these allegations, it is important to remember that every defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt at a trial, at which the defendant is entitled to all rights guaranteed by the United States Constitution and state law.

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