Lodi schools super accused of punching woman in Seaside Heights

The superintendent of Lodi public schools has been accused of punching a woman in the head during an argument at the Jersey Shore last weekend.

Douglas Petty, 46, of the Cedar Knolls section of Hanover Township, was arrested by Seaside Heights police very early Sunday, Aug. 28, in the area of Sumner Avenue and the Boulevard.

He was charged with simple assault after a parking enforcement officer and another officer heard him loudly arguing with the woman — whose identity was not disclosed — and then briefly fighting with a male bystander, police said.

According to a report by NorthJersey.com, the incident involved an "intimate partner" and was referred to as domestic violence in an affidavit of probable cause.

Petty is married, according to his open letter to the Lodi community when first hired in 2019.

He was briefly held in Ocean County jail, according to the Daily Voice, until an Ocean County Superior Court judge ordered his release the same day.

He attended the Lodi Board of Education meeting on Wednesday, but his arrest was not mentioned, according to the same report by NorthJersey.com.

Responses for comment from both Petty and the Lodi Board of Education president were not immediately answered.

Erin Vogt is a reporter and anchor for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach her at erin.vogt@townsquaremedia.com

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