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A controversial pick to fill the No. 2 spot at the Port Authority Police Department has sparked a federal corruption probe, The Post has learned.
As if out of nowhere, former NYPD cop Jerry Speziale, a key New Jersey Democratic power player, suddenly got the gig from Republicans last summer while in the middle of a re-election campaign as sheriff in Passaic County, NJ.
He was tapped by GOPers aligned with Republican Gov. Chris Christie. But when officials were repeatedly asked by the media how his gubernatorial appointment materialized and why Republicans would make such an unusual cross-party move, the queries were met with nothing but silence.
The mysterious circumstances surrounding his hiring are now being probed by the FBI’s corruption squad in New Jersey, sources told The Post.
Speziale’s move in August to deputy superintendent of the PAPD gave him a $198,510-a-year salary on top of a tax-free NYPD disability pension of $58,152 a year.
Speziale’s job switch was a serious blow to the Garden State’s struggling Democrats, since it took one of their major power players out of the local mix.
The probe into Speziale’s hiring is “very preliminary,” a law-enforcement source said.
A well-placed PAPD official noted that since he’s been hired, Speziale, 50, has forged a reputation within the department as a conscientious administrator who is responsive to the needs of his cops — although the official conceded that the political ramifications of the hiring were unmistakable.
“When this hiring occurred, many of us felt, ‘This is dirty New Jersey politics as usual,’ ” the source noted.
In New Jersey, Speziale became a top player in Democratic politics after winning election to the powerful sheriff post in Passaic County, which includes Paterson, Clifton and Passaic city. He dropped out of his re-election bid after getting the PA job.
“The circumstances of [Speziale’s] departure — when he [left] and where he went — all appear to be a very curious coincidence,” said John Wisniewski, New Jersey’s state Democratic chairman, who is among those angry at Speziale’s move. “Jobs at the Port Authority don’t fall off the turnip truck. It ought to be looked into.”
Speziale did not respond to messages. A spokesman for the FBI declined to comment.
A spokesman for the Port Authority said Speziale and agency officials had no comment.
Additional reporting Philip Messing