Cop torches career after home invasion, physical attack on former lover — and his girlfriend — plus threat to burn down house

A New Jersey police officer has lost her law enforcement career in the state following a home invasion, physical attack, and threats to burn down a former lover's residence.

Rebecca Sayegh, 32 — formerly with the Toms River Police Department — pleaded guilty to burglary, criminal mischief, and simple assault on Nov. 17.

'I'm going to f**king burn your house down next, you piece of s**t.'

Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer announced in a statement that his office wants Sayegh to serve 180 days in jail when she's sentenced on Jan. 26. As part of her probation, prosecutors also want her to have no contact with the victims and to pay restitution.

Sayegh — who had been suspended without pay since her April arrest — was required to forfeit her position with the police department effective Nov. 17; she's also barred from any future employment with the state of New Jersey, according to the prosecutor's office.

Sayegh's guilty plea stems from a violent home invasion of her ex-boyfriend's home in Berkeley Township.

As Blaze News previously reported, Sayegh used her baton to smash through the front door of her ex-boyfriend's home around 11:20 p.m. on April 25.

But the violent incident didn't stop there.

Sayegh — who was off-duty at the time — engaged in a verbal confrontation with her former lover and his new girlfriend that quickly escalated into a physical attack, according to court documents NJ.com obtained.

Citing Assistant Prosecutor Isabella Young, NJ.com reported that the girlfriend suffered swelling to the eye when Sayegh poked her with her fingernail.

The couple was able to restrain Sayegh before she "broke free" and smashed items in the house and knocked photos off a wall, according to the affidavit of probable cause.

Billhimer said Sayegh damaged the hood of a vehicle belonging to one of the victims that was parked in the home's driveway.

The New York Post reported, "As Sayegh continued on her chaotic rampage, the new girlfriend retreated into the backyard, where she called 911."

The prosecutor's office stated: "Sayegh was taken into custody at the scene — after having resisted efforts to peacefully place her under arrest."

Citing police bodycam video, the Daily Mail reported that Sayegh appeared to tell her ex-boyfriend: "I'm going to f**king burn your house down next, you piece of s**t."

Sayegh caused $2,000 in damage to the house and another $500 to a vehicle, Young said.

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Just months before the violent home invasion, Sayegh sued the Toms River Police Department, alleging sexual harassment, being passed over for promotions due to her gender, and a "boys club" culture.

Sayegh's lawsuit alleges that she "has been victimized by a campaign of disparaging, degrading, harassing, and discriminatory conduct by defendants and the de facto 'boys club' culture cultivated and maintained in the department," the Asbury Park Press reported.

The October 2024 suit also claims that fellow officers "spread false and defamatory rumors throughout the department that [the] plaintiff was sleeping with various male co-workers, commented on [the] plaintiff's appearance, and insinuated that [the] plaintiff could not complete the responsibilities of her position simply because she is a woman."

The defendants' attorneys have described the lawsuit as "frivolous and without legal basis" and "baseless and/or meritless."

Sayegh — who joined the department in 2017 — claimed that her former captain, Shaun O'Keefe, "shamelessly" pursued a sexual relationship with her.

Sayegh's lawsuit alleges that O'Keefe followed her into the women's restroom, took out his penis, and told her to perform oral sex on him during a Toms River Police Foundation event at the Bey Lea Golf Course in June 2022.

O'Keefe retired from the police department in 2021.

In April 2025, Superior Court Judge Robert E. Brenner dismissed the claims against O'Keefe without prejudice, ruling that the lawsuit was filed after the two-year statute of limitations had expired, according to the Asbury Park Press.

Sayegh's lawsuit against the police department is still pending, according to the Daily Mail.

Sayegh previously had been commended and received an award for her "bravery" after rescuing a woman and her pets from a Toms River house fire in January 2021.

"Officer Sayegh went to the front door and made entry, locating Ms. Nicolo and her pets. Officer Sayegh was able to escort Ms. Nicolo and her pets across the street to safety. Officer Sayegh is commended for her swift action, bravery, and lifesaving actions," the department stated.

The Toms River Police Department and the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office did not immediately respond to Blaze News' requests for comment.

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