A combative public hearing in Pemberton Township, New Jersey, erupted Wednesday night when Mayor Matthew Bianchini reportedly lunged at one of his regular critics, forcing several people in the audience to restrain the town’s top elected official, as reported by The New York Post.

Bianchini charged toward resident Michael Sawka while shouting, “I am getting you, I am f—ing getting you!” according to the Pine Barrens Tribune. Former police officers and other onlookers moved quickly to stop the confrontation from escalating further.

The clash unfolded during an employment appeal hearing involving Ken Gerber, the township’s recently fired director of Community Development. Gerber, a retired police chief, was accusing the Bianchini administration of wrongdoing when tempers inside the meeting boiled over.

Footage taken by the outlet shows Bianchini and Township Engineer Jennifer Harris glaring toward critics in attendance. Among them were Sawka and another resident wearing a shirt supporting rival Republican Dan Dewey.

Bianchini, a Republican who is seeking reelection this year, became enraged after a heated exchange and a gesture from Sawka. The mayor later claimed the gesture was hostile toward his daughter, who was present with his wife.

The footage shows Bianchini suddenly moving toward Sawka as the room erupts. Councilman Perry Doyle Jr., a retired police officer, struggled to restrain the mayor before escorting him into a nearby conference room.

Two police officers arrived soon afterward, including an officer with a K9 unit. Their arrival helped bring the raucous meeting under control after the confrontation threw the public hearing into chaos.

Sawka demanded that police immediately arrest Bianchini, accusing the mayor of assault and making a verbal threat. He also initially refused to leave the meeting before an attorney eventually persuaded him to depart.

“I want the police here to arrest him for that threat! That is assault!” Sawka shouted, according to the outlet.

Pemberton Township Mayor Matthew Bianchini, as seen in video shot by a reporter with the Pine Barrens Tribune, charged a vocal critic at last night's council meeting in a moment that is already making significant waves as it is simply unprecedented in local and regional politics.

The mayor had to be held back by a former police chief who was the township's director of Community Development that he had fired just two weeks ago, and was further restrained and removed from the room by an ex-cop who is now a councilman, but not before the mayor told the resident, "I am getting you – I am fu***** getting you!” The resident then demanded the mayor's immediate arrest (which did not appear to occur). Ultimately, all of those involved in the altercation were asked to leave the meeting. We will have coverage in this weekend's paper of what led up to this and the reaction to the incident. Viewer discretion is advised. Credit Ryan Elmore/Pine Barrens Tribune #NJ #News #Pines #BurlCo — Pine Barrens Tribune (@PineBarrensNews) October 22, 2026

Bianchini later acknowledged that his conduct was wrong, but he refused to apologize for the outburst. Instead, the mayor argued that his actions were justified because his family had endured months of targeted verbal harassment.

“I will not apologize for my actions last night. If you attack my family, as that resident did last night, I will act,” Bianchini wrote on Facebook.

The mayor also claimed that both his wife and daughter had been targeted physically and verbally. He offered a blunt assessment of his response while standing firmly behind it.

“My wife and daughter were both physically and verbally attacked. Were my actions wrong? Probably. Were they justified? Absolutely!”

The explosive confrontation comes as Pemberton Township faces what the report described as a deeply polarized political climate. That division was visible at the hearing through the presence of Bianchini’s critics and a resident openly supporting Dewey.

The hearing itself centered on Gerber’s firing from his position as director of Community Development. Pemberton Business Administrator Rosemary Flaherty defended the decision, alleging that Gerber had mismanaged his department and engaged in “locker room talk” while in the office.

Gerber and his supporters dispute those allegations and contend that the firing was politically motivated retribution. They have linked that claim to Gerber’s friendship with Dewey, the Republican rival whose supporter was present during the heated meeting.

What began as an employment appeal ultimately became a spectacle involving an enraged mayor, a furious resident, retired police officers, and responding law enforcement. Bianchini conceded his actions were probably wrong, yet his Facebook statement made clear that an apology was not coming.

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