You can summon many words to characterize the Old Bridge GOP but dispassionate isn’t one of them.

Neither is unified.

InsiderNJ tonight obtained a copy of a police report describing a simple assault case brought against Middlesex County GOP Chair (and Ward 6 Councilwoman) Lucille Panos by a fellow Republican running for the local council. Panos vigorously denied the allegation, and noted that a judge dismissed other complaints brought against her by members of the opposing GOP group.

In the report, candidate John E. Murphy 3rd complains to police about being punched in the chest with a closed fist by the diminutive Panos on Old Bridge Day in the Old Bridge Plaza on Sept. 9th after a conversation Murphy and Panos turned to family.

“Don’t talk about my son or I’ll f-ing kill you,” Panos told Murphy, according to the account he gave police.

Panos dismissed as ridiculous Murphy’s characterization of the encounter and said, “Can you imagine me punching a 6 foot guy in the chest?

“Give me a break,” she added.

The Republican chair didn’t deny that the conversation became rougher when she told Murphy that he’s running for council because his son got a job at the Municipal Utilities Authority (MUA). And while she insists she never hit him, what she did, Panos said, after Murphy brought her son into the conversation, was to tweak the little council candidate’s badge the candidate sported and said, “you don’t deserve that title.”

The county chair said that crowd of Republicans led by failed LD12 senate candidate Art Haney have tried before to goad her and failed, and the complaints and taunts have fizzled in court every time.

A copy of the police report in the Murphy case may be found below:

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