Phillipsburg’s first female officer sues, alleges sexual harassment

Haley Fitzpatrick says fellow cops subjected her to sexual comments and discriminatory treatment and discouraged her from complaining.

Phillipsburg’s first female police officer has accused other cops in the Warren County town of sexually harassing her since she joined the department more than two years ago.

In a three-count lawsuit filed earlier this month in Morris County Superior Court, attorneys for Officer Haley Fitzpatrick wrote that male officers “made it clear that they did not want a woman in the department” from the very start.

“They made sexual comments in her presence, openly complained about having to work with a female officer, told her she was ‘pretty good for a woman’ who was small, and addressed her as a ‘gentleman,’” according to the lawsuit.

Attorneys for Fitzpatrick, the only woman in the department of more than 40 officers, detailed a number of other incidents in the lawsuit. Some allegedly happened before she officially got the job.

Several cops told her that a department captain said in February 2024 that officers shouldn’t “flirt with her, sleep with her, or say anything inappropriate to her.” Fitzpatrick was still in the police academy at the time.

“These statements reflected the risk of the plaintiff being subjected to harassment by [the Phillipsburg Police Department] staff before she ever reported for duty,” according to the lawsuit.

The alleged harassment continued throughout 2025 and into this year.

During the week of March 15, 2025, Officer William Lance allegedly put his hand between Fitzpatrick’s legs and grabbed the back of her thigh while they watched body camera footage together.

Fitzpatrick slapped his hand away and later told other officers about the encounter.

In response, one of the officers allegedly said she “better not say anything and ruin that man’s career. He’s a good guy and is about to retire.”

Meanwhile, Lance and Officer Michael Connaughton allegedly made offensive jokes about Fitzpatrick’s perceived sexual orientation and directed unprofessional, sexually charged comments at her, according to the lawsuit.

Fitzpatrick complained several times to supervisors, including lieutenants and a sergeant, according to the lawsuit. She also complained to Chief James McDonald in May, after the department opened an Internal Affairs investigation into Connaughton.

Neither McDonald, Phillipsburg Mayor Randy Piazza nor any member of the Town Council responded to a Friday request for comment.

On May 11, Fitzpatrick called out sick because she “could not mentally handle going to work,” according to the complaint.

The department’s Internal Affairs Bureau investigated Connaughton over his comments and found July 1 that one of his comments violated departmental policies against discrimination and harassment in the workplace.

But the bureau found the rest of Fitzpatrick’s allegations were “NOT SUSTAINED due to lack of evidence,” according to the lawsuit.

Fitzpatrick’s attorneys say the department’s officers created a hostile work environment due to her gender and perceived sexual orientation, retaliated against her after she complained, and aided and abetted the alleged unlawful harassment.

The town, the police department, Connaughton and Lance are named as defendants in the lawsuit, which seeks compensatory and punitive damages, attorneys’ fees and costs.