A Pennsylvania community is under pressure to cut all ties with a former assistant police chief and fencing contractor who was charged with making a racist verbal attack.
State Senator Anthony H. Williams, who represents parts of Philadelphia and Delaware counties, joined the Delaware County Black Caucus and other community leaders at a press conference Thursday to call for the cancellation of any government contracts with J & P Fencing, which 46-year-old John P. Romano once owned and may still own.
Romano, of Delaware County, is charged with ethnic intimidation, terroristic threats, harassment, disorderly conduct, and obstructing highways following a confrontation with an unnamed Black woman on November 21.
According to the criminal complaint, he was loading trees onto a forklift while blocking traffic on a nearby road. The woman, who was stuck in traffic caused by Romano, admitted to growing impatient and honking her horn at the forklift.
Romano, who is white, allegedly said, “Who the f*** are you beeping at? “Shut up, b****.”
The woman claimed she then attempted to drive her car around the forklift. According to investigators, Romano had jumped out of the forklift and confronted the woman at ground level, calling her a “monkey” and promising to find out where she lived and where she came from.
Romano allegedly continued his verbal assault by telling the woman, “You know what n*****, go get a f****** banana.” I am not dealing with you today.
The woman claimed Romano took a picture of her license plate and claimed he had the authority to have her car towed. According to the complaint, Romano threatened to physically assault her and repeatedly referred to her as a “porch monkey.” The woman claimed he scoffed at her suggestion to contact law enforcement, telling her he was “protected.”
The woman did call the police. Romano admitted to using the N-word and told one of the officers, “I’ll tell you what I said, I’ll say it again, it’s my belief, they’re all animals.” I am tired of dealing with them.”
When the officer informed Romano about the potential consequences, Romano allegedly responded, “So I can’t call a n***** a n*****?”
According to police, Romano claimed that the woman threatened to kill him. According to investigators, he then retracted his previous statement that he called her a racial slur.
“I didn’t call her a n*****,” Romano told the officer, according to the criminal complaint. “I said, ‘Go get a banana, you monkey.’ That is what I said. So, is that racist? “She’s a wild animal.”
Darby Township Police Chief Mike Sousa stated that the officers present were “shocked as much as I was.”
“It was pretty cut and dry and that easy,” Sousa said.
Romano, a former Sharon Hill Assistant Fire Chief, has been suspended by the fire company’s board of trustees, and the borough has also cut ties, according to Sharon Hill Council President Tanya Allen.
Sen. Williams wants to make sure that includes J & P Fencing. A company representative told NBC10 in Philadelphia that Romano sold the business years ago and hasn’t worked there in seven months. A lawyer for the company told the station that Romano had only been hired for that one day and is no longer the owner.
However, a LinkedIn page still lists Romano as the owner of J & P Fencing. He was still responding to Better Business Bureau complaints on behalf of the company in 2023.
Romano is due in court in February.
