In the aftermath of the Asbury Park shooting Tuesday, when Neptune police Sgt. Philip Seidle was accused of shooting to death the mother of his nine children – his ex-wife – Tamara Seidle, in front of their youngest daughter, experts say parents’ and schools’ primary concern should be to help children talk about and cope with the traumatic news.
Liz Rudder from CPC Behavioral Healthcare recommends that parents provide a comfortable environment for their children when they are discussing a traumatic event.
“The goal is to be honest and open with dialogue,” Rudder said. “Communicating facts without the full detail is recommended.”
It is essential to know what happened, but not necessarily the grim, gruesome details of it all.
“Reassuring children that they are safe is extremely important,” Rudder said. “It is
impossible to protect kids from everything, especially since news is easily accessible through different outlets.”
Shock ripped throughout Monmouth County, as news of the shooting became the lead story of local news outlets and quickly rose to national news prompting schools to take steps to help children cope with the event.
Dr. Michael Lake, the Superintendent of Neptune Township School District, has taken a number of measures to ease student trauma. He arranged for a grief counseling team to come into the high school Wednesday morning and a crisis response team will be in school for the remainder of the week. Lake said the team will meet with the administration and provide guidance to students and teachers who are suffering from the crisis.
The Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office arraigned and formally charged Philip Seidle Wednesday with first-degree murder, second-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and second-degree endangering the welfare of a child Wednesday.
A judge denied the motion by Philip Seidle’s lawyer to reduce his bail, which is currently set at $2 million with no 10 percent option.
He is currently being held in the Monmouth County Correctional Institution without parole and faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, or a minimum of 30 years, subject to the “No Early Release Act” requiring him to serve 85 percent of the sentence imposed before becoming eligible for release on parole.
As Tamara Seidle was fleeing from her ex-husband, who was driving a 2005 Honda Pilot, her 2012 Volkswagen Jetta crashed into a parked car on Sewall Avenue, according to LeMieux.
Philip Seidle got out of his vehicle, pulled out his .40-caliber Glock service handgun, approached the driver’s side of the Jetta and shot his ex-wife multiple times, LeMieux said.
“He does this while his own daughter is located in his passenger seat – in his vehicle,” LeMieux told the judge.
As Asbury Park police, who responded at 11:26 a.m. to an unrelated motor vehicle accident, arrived at the scene, they watched Seidle shoot multiple times into the car and did not pull their weapons. Seidle then put the gun to his head. At that point, police talked him into letting officers retrieve his 7-year old daughter from the passenger side of his Silver Honda Pilot and bring her to safety.
Seidle then moved to the front of the Jetta, firing several more shots through the windshield at Tamara Seidle, and then pointed the gun at his head provoking a 20-to 25-minute standoff with police.
He surrendered to police at 11:52 a.m., according to the release. Investigators from multiple departments were at the scene including Asbury Park, Neptune Township, the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Marshal’s Service.
The case is assigned to Monmouth County First Assistant Prosecutor Marc LeMieux. Monmouth County Detective John Leibfried and Asbury Park Detective Dan Kowsaluk are investigating.
The couple, divorced May 27, had nine children together between the ages of 7 and 24.
A meeting was held with Township Administrator Vito Gadaleta in hopes of putting together a task force of individuals who will provide financial help and stability for the Seidle children. A township wide fundraising appeal will take place and Neptune police have pledged to help.
Lake said the Seidle children were school leaders as they were involved in extracurricular activities including sports, and Mrs. Seidle was a well-known mother at the Neptune Township schools.
Not only was Mrs. Seidle involved with the schools, but she was also a “pillar of faith” within the Mother of Mercy Parish community, said the Bishop of the Diocese of Trenton David M. O’Connell, C.M.
Tamara Seidle was the coordinator of religious education at the parish in Asbury Park.
“Our minds cannot fathom the horror that transpired when Tamara Seidle was shot and killed in front of her own seven-year old daughter on Tuesday morning in Asbury Park,” O’Connell said in a press release.
“Tamara had been such a pillar of faith within the community of Mother of Mercy Paris. The broken hearts of all those who knew her and worked with her, both in the parish and across the Diocese, are struggling with unimaginable and inconsolable grief at her loss.”
The accused murderer is a 22-year veteran of the Neptune Township Police Department and was first hired as a patrolman in July 1993. He was promoted to sergeant in the Patrol Division in January 2009. He was also a veteran of the United States Navy, serving from March 1986 until his honorable discharge in November 1990.
“(Philip Seidle) was an exemplary model of what a police officer should be,” Sofia Guerra, owner and editor at Always Catholic blog, said. “His kind personality, yet commanding presence quelled many disputes at a local hot spot.” Guerra said she is absolutely shocked that this happened, as she has known Seidle as a long time Neptune resident.
Connor White, Joey Dominguez and Samantha Caramela contributed to this story
