TEANECK, NJ — Teaneck Police Chief Andrew R. McGurr is leaving his role after a tenure of roughly three and a half years, making his time as chief the third-shortest tenure in the department’s history, according to township records.

The impending departure was not publicly announced by the township ahead of Tuesday night’s Township Council meeting, though “Teaneck Voices” reported it based on the released council agenda, which includes a proclamation recognizing McGurr near the beginning of the meeting.

It was not immediately clear when McGurr’s final day will be or who will succeed him. The township has not publicly announced a search or selection process.

McGurr was appointed chief in January 2023 following the retirement of Chief Glenn M. O’Reilly. He had previously served as deputy chief beginning in April 2022 and as captain beginning in August 2020. Since January 2024, Seth Kriegel has served as his deputy chief.

Only two chiefs in Teaneck history served for shorter periods than McGurr: Chief Robert Carney, who served from 2014 to 2016, and Chief Joseph J. Kilmurray, who served from 1979 to 1981. Both served approximately two years.

McGurr and Kriegel’s tenure also coincided with one of the most contentious periods in recent Teaneck history.

Following Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, Orthodox Jewish residents faced almost a year of harassment and confrontations, including recurring pro-Palestinian car rallies through heavily Orthodox neighborhoods, while police officers stood by, failed to enforced traffic, local and state laws to protect the public and Jewish residents of the township.

Throughout the period, residents complained about vehicles driving through residential streets while blaring horns, shouting, spitting and throwing things at Jewish American’s, blocking traffic including bringing roadways to a standstill and making what they described as threatening or harassing remarks towards Jews.

The lack of police response became a recurring source of frustration within the Jewish community. Residents questioned why officers who witnessed antisemitic protestors violating the law refused to enforce traffic, local and state laws. Officers were present and in some cases even provided escorts for the aggressors.

The controversy unfolded against the backdrop of a township with a large Orthodox Jewish population and heightened antisemitism following Oct. 7.

McGurr's tenure started just before period. At the time, the council's Jewish members were Elie Y. Katz, Mark “Mendy” Schwartz and Karen Orgen. Hillary Goldberg had been elected shortly before McGurr's appointment, in the same election in which the public voice carried and Keith Kaplan, a close ally of Schwartz and Orgen, failed to win reelection.

Now, the council is preparing to publicly say goodbye to McGurr as Teaneck once again faces a transition at the top of its police department and ahead of a competitive election where Goldberg is pursuing another term and Katz – who has been successively reelected for over 30 years – is for the first time not pursuing his own.

The big question: Who comes next?