NJ school board member caught shoplifting at Petco, cops say

🐶 A Monroe school board member is charged with shoplifting at a pet store

🐶 Police say he stole more than $500 in merchandise

🐶 Tufano handily won reelection in November despite controversial comments

MARLBORO — A Monroe school board member is accused of stealing from a Monmouth County Petco just after the start of the new year.

Court records show that Peter Tufano is charged with shoplifting at the pet store located at the Marlboro Commons along Route 9 on Jan. 7.

Tufano stole $510.87 worth of merchandise, according to a police report obtained by New Jersey 101.5. The offense has since been downgraded to taking less than $200.

After an officer contacted Tufano, he went into the police station where he was fingerprinted and released. His court date is set for the first week of April.

Neither Tufano nor his defense attorney responded to requests for comment Monday.

Monroe school board member controversy

Tufano was elected to his first term on the Monroe school board in 2018. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the district serves nearly 6,900 students and spends around $21,000 per student.

In 2020, an online petition calling for Tufano's resignation for "countless irresponsible and derogatory remarks" made in a private Facebook group garnered more than 5,600 signatures.

Despite the petition, Tufano easily won re-election for a second three-year term in November 2022. He received 8,325 votes, more than each of the other five candidates in the race.

Rick Rickman is a reporter for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at richard.rickman@townsquaremedia.com

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