Politics & Government

DPW Worker Fired After 'Appalling,' Homophobic Facebook Posts

Sam Falcetano Jr. made a series of posts to an open Facebook group, criticizing gay marriage, liberals and abortion.


A township employee was fired this week after writing a series of profanity-laced Facebook posts containing homophobic slurs and critical comments about gay marriage, liberals and abortion, township officials said.

Maplewood Mayor Vic DeLuca publicly called the comments "appalling."

Sam Falcetano Jr., who was posting on the open Facebook group, “Memories of living in South Orange, NJ or Maplewood, NJ” and identified himself as an employee of the Department of Public Works, complained that DPW workers spent hours cleaning up the “tons of garbage” left behind after the township’s two-day Maplewoodstock concert. Falcetano blamed the mess on “liberals who have voted for Obama and ruined the Maplewood I grew up in.”

From there, Falcetano segued into statements criticizing teachers who “force feed their pupils a liberal agenda,” abortion and gay marriage, which he said “breaks down the moral fabric of society.”

“…don't try and force your perverted man on man into our traditional marriage,” one post read.

The postings contained other graphic comments that Patch chose not to publish.

The thread was removed sometime late Monday night, after it came to the attention of township officials. Falcetano is no longer employed by the township, Township Administrator Joseph Manning said.

“Without question, the township finds this individual's comments to be appalling and not in anyway representative of the beliefs, policies or practices of the Township of Maplewood,” DeLuca said, reading from a prepared statement at the start of Tuesday’s Township Committee meeting. He continued, "The township will continue to embrace and promote an inclusive and welcoming community.” 


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