John A. Pase

Pase

An off-duty emergency medical technician who lives in Newark has been charged with groping an elderly woman he first met while responding to a call with Middletown’s Volunteer Hose Company, police said.

The incident happened Feb. 18 in Springmill Community, a 55+ neighborhood in Middletown, according to Sr. Lt. Christine Brenner, a spokeswoman for the Middletown Police Department.

The EMT, 48-year-old John A. Pase, had responded to the woman’s residence in an official capacity two weeks earlier. He returned Thursday alone, off-duty and in his personal vehicle, Brenner said.

The woman thought she was allowing a home health care nurse into her house when she opened the garage door. Instead, Pase entered, started a conversation and “placed his hand in the blouse of the victim, touching her breast,” Brenner said.

Pase was charged with third-degree sexual contact and was released on his own recognizance. He was ordered to have no contact with the victim.

The fire company’s website lists Pase as a member of its career staff, meaning he is paid rather than solely being a volunteer. According to his LinkedIn page, he has been a member of the fire company since 2008.

In a prepared statement, the fire department said Pase has been suspended “pending an inquiry.”

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