John G. McCabe, Jr., a resident of Middletown, took his oath when he was recently sworn in as the new Chief of Detectives for the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office.
In a ceremony presided over by Monmouth County Assignment Judge Lisa P. Thornton on Sept. 5 in Freehold, McCabe was appointed to the position following the recent retirement of Michael Pasterchick, Jr.
Pasterchick served Monmouth County for more than 11 years prior to his retirement and had previously worked with McCabe, which made for an extremely smooth transition, according to Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni.
“John McCabe is someone who I’ve had the benefit of knowing professionally and personally for a number of years and I look forward to having his leadership and experience at the helm of our investigations. I believe he will carry on the great legacy of talented chiefs we have had at this Office,” Gramiccioni said.
McCabe, who was born and raised in Hazlet, comes to the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office after he had served as the acting Chief of Detectives in the Union County Prosecutor’s Office since September of 2013.
“I am proud of the professionalism, dedication to duty and the accomplishments of the MCPO detectives I now have the privilege to lead as we move forward together to create a better and safer Monmouth County community,” McCabe said.
According to a press release from the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, McCabe has an extensive background in law enforcement.
He was graduated from Rutgers University with a degree in accounting and began his law enforcement career in 1987 as an investigator with the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office. McCabe became a special agent with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in 1990 and was assigned to the New Jersey Division. During his tenure with the DEA, he investigated high-level narcotics traffickers and money launderers across the globe.
In 2000, McCabe was promoted to Group Supervisor and assigned to the Special Operations Division where he directed investigations targeting the command and control structure of the Mexican Drug Cartel. In 2003, McCabe was transferred to the Washington, D.C., Division Office, where he led a Mobile Enforcement Team and Metropolitan Police Homicide Prevention Task Force.
In 2004, McCabe was promoted to Chief of the Mexico Central American Section at DEA Headquarters. In this capacity, he managed domestic and foreign investigations linked to Mexico and several Central American countries, most notably implementing the Drug Flow Attack Strategy – a multi-agency, collaborative initiative that significantly disrupted the flow of drugs, money and chemicals from source countries into the United States.
In 2007, McCabe was assigned to the New Jersey Division as an Assistant Special-Agent-in-Charge, where he oversaw two DEA Task Force groups and the entire Northern New Jersey High Intensity Drug Trafficking Activity Task Force.
McCabe retired from federal law enforcement in 2012 after he had served as Acting Special-Agent-in-Charge of the DEA from 2010–2011.
After 25 years of federal service, McCabe was sworn-in as Deputy Chief of Detectives for the Union County Prosecutor’s Office in July 2012. The following year, McCabe assumed the role of Acting Chief of Detectives under the leadership of Acting Prosecutor Grace Park.
During his tenure with Union County, McCabe was responsible for the daily operations of all detectives within the Investigations Division, where he supervised the planning and direction of investigations, while he directed the administration of investigative activities.
According to the press release, Monmouth County law enforcement runs deep in his family – McCabe’s father, John McCabe, Sr., retired as a Lieutenant from the Hazlet Police Department, and was one of the original participants in the Bayshore Narcotics Task Force.
