SOUTH HACKENSACK – Long before he became instantly infamous statewide for smiling during his domestic violence arrest mugshot, William Regan was widely known in this tiny Bergen County town as a volunteer firefighter, for a brief stint as mayor and, most recently, as a township committeeman who serves as police commissioner.
But now Regan, 52, stands accused of assaulting and injuring his wife on Jan. 25.
According to a municipal court complaint, Regan grabbed her by the arms and shoved her to the ground, causing injuries to her arms and knees. Regan was arrested the next day and charged with simple assault with injury.
“(Bill) is a very committed member of the community,” current Mayor Frank Cagas said Wednesday. “He’s a volunteer fireman, a member of the planning board and worked on our recreation center. He’s a good man and it’s unfortunate that these things have to happen to families.”
Regan is a longtime resident of South Hackensack, moving here from North Bergen more than two decades ago. Outside the community, he’s a businessman, self-employed as an armed guard and promotes himself online as a “disc jockey” and “party motivator.”
Police have not released additional details about the alleged assault.
South Hackensack police commissioner and deputy mayor Bill Regan is accused of assaulting his wife. (South Hackensack PD)
“I take great pride in my involvement with the community,” Bill Regan told the Hackensack Chronicle in 2014. “I value our children’s education and the importance of community involvement.”
In 2014, Regan counted among his accomplishments the ability to secure more than 500 backpacks and school supplies that were later donated to a local school.
“This accomplishment made sure that our children started off the school year with the tools that they needed to be successful,” Regan told the Chronicle.
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In addition to politics, Regan has worked in both the public and private sectors.
According to his LinkedIn page, he was a regional loss prevention manager for CVS Pharmacy, a position he held for nearly seven years. Since 2015, he has been working as an armed guard to protect celebrities and CEOs, according to his online resume.
Regan is also president of his own company, DJB Productions, serving as a disc jockey and party motivator, according to his website. His promotional Facebook page contains videos of weddings and corporate events where he claims to have performed.
On Facebook and his website, Regan claims to have been a professional DJ for more than 30 years and counts among his clients Disney, ABC, AOL, ESPN, Hard Rock Cafe, Trump casinos and The Borgata. According to his website, Regan has performed on network TV shows “Good Morning America” and “The View.”
His website contains positive reviews from clients. However, those clients could not be reached for comment for this story.
A check of public records shows PNC Bank in 2013 filed a civil complaint in Bergen County Superior Court against Bill and Maria Regan and “BMJ Entertainment” for more than $11,000.
Bill Regan has not returned calls seeking comment for this story.
Fellow township committee members Gary Brugger and Walter Eckel Jr. could not be reached for comment.
When contacted Wednesday, township committee member Yris Encarnacion declined to comment.
The South Hackensack mayor said for now Regan will continue to serve on the township committee.
“This is all going to be sorted out by our counsel (Brian Giblin),” Cagas said.
Giblin, reached at his law office on Wednesday, declined to comment.
Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
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