Sussex County GOP chairman faces gun charges

Joseph LaBarbera is accused of pointing a handgun at a driver whose 18-month-old daughter was in the back seat during a road rage incident.

The head of the Sussex County GOP was arrested over the weekend for allegedly pulling a handgun on a motorist with a toddler in his car during a bout of road rage in Stillwater Township, court records and charging documents show.

Joseph LaBarbera, a 50-year-old Staten Island native who now lives in Hardwick, was allegedly tailgating a green Kia Telluride on Millbrook Road at about 2:15 p.m. on Sept. 12 when the Kia pulled over, according to an affidavit of probable cause.

LaBarbera, who chairs the Sussex County Republican Committee, allegedly pulled up next to the unidentified victim in his black Mercedes-Benz and started arguing with him, the police affidavit said.

The argument escalated, and LaBarbera allegedly pulled his black Sig Sauer P365X from its holster and pointed it at the man, whose 18-month-old daughter rode in the back seat, police said.

But because of the cars’ positions and similar heights, the toddler was directly in LaBarbera’s line of fire, according to the affidavit.

Both men called 911 after the encounter, and LaBarbera told the dispatcher that the victim had threatened to shoot him.

LaBarbera later told troopers from the New Jersey State Police’s Sussex station that he’d been a couple of car lengths behind the Kia when the driver suddenly turned on his hazard lights and pulled to the side of the road, the affidavit said.

LaBarbera said he drove up next to the Kia and asked the driver if he was OK. The driver answered with an expletive and said he was “going to shoot him,” the affidavit said.

That’s when the county chairman allegedly told the victim he was armed and began to unholster his pistol before the victim “panicked and drove off.”

Troopers found LaBarbera at a local restaurant on County Road 521, where he was arrested and charged with fourth-degree aggravated assault by pointing a firearm, second-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, fourth-degree unjustified display of a firearm and third-degree endangering the welfare of a child, State Police said in a statement.

LaBarbera was taken to the Morris County Jail in Morristown. He reportedly pleaded not guilty and was released after a Monday hearing.

LaBarbera’s attorney, Patrick Toscano of Fairfield, did not respond to a request for comment.

Eight Republican politicians, including state Sen. Parker Space, Assemblyman Michael Inganamort, Assemblywoman Dawn Fantasia and five members of the Sussex County Board of County Commissioners, called on LaBarbera to step down following his arrest in a joint statement.

“For the good of the party, we believe the chairman should focus on this serious legal and personal matter, step aside, and allow the vice chair to temporarily lead the party and let the county committee make the best long-term decision,” the brief statement said.

On Tuesday, LaBarbera told InsiderNJ that he had “done nothing wrong.”

“I did everything correct legally and ethically,” he said. “I’m falsely accused. This is a gun rights issue and I was within the law. The false accusations are indeed false. I’m ready to win this case and stand up for our civil rights.”

A veteran of the U.S. Marines and U.S. Army, LaBarbera served in Afghanistan and “displayed exemplary leadership in various combat and advisory roles across multiple deployments,” the Sussex County Republicans’ website said.

He has been involved in local politics since 2019 and has “significantly contributed to GOP efforts,” the site added.