TENAFLY, N.J. — Losing out on the top job after nearly three decades on the force apparently did not sit well with one Tenafly police captain.

Capt. Michael deMoncada is suing the borough after officials selected a lower-ranking officer, claiming the rules were changed and the process was manipulated to keep him from becoming chief.

But the lawsuit reads in large part like a case of a longtime insider unhappy that the job he expected to get went to someone else.

DeMoncada, a 28-year veteran who has spent 13 years as a captain, says retiring Chief Robert Chamberlain supported him as his successor. He also points to his seniority and what he describes as “glowing performance reviews.”

That, however, does not automatically make someone police chief.

Tenafly is a non-civil service department, and the police commission recommends a chief to the mayor and council. The borough is permitted to evaluate candidates and consider factors beyond simply who has been wearing the badge the longest.

The borough initially limited candidates to captains who had held the rank for at least a year. Four days later, the eligibility requirements were expanded to include lieutenants, according to the complaint.

That brought Lt. Michael Greeley, deMoncada's brother-in-law, into the running.

DeMoncada alleges the change was made specifically to benefit Greeley. He also objects to interviews, personnel reviews and an employee survey that became part of the process, portraying the additional scrutiny as an effort to build a case against him.

In other words, after expecting the promotion, deMoncada appears to have taken the selection process personally when the borough decided to look beyond him.

The drama got even stranger when Greeley allegedly told deMoncada he planned to withdraw and endorse him. According to the lawsuit, Greeley claimed Mayor Mark Zinna warned that he could remain a lieutenant if he withdrew and that the search could be reopened to include sergeants.

The borough ultimately created a deputy chief position, named Greeley chief and appointed deMoncada deputy chief.

DeMoncada's attorney, Steven Adler, called the process “illegal” and accused officials of repeatedly moving the “goal line.”

The lawsuit seeks to overturn the appointments and either make deMoncada chief or force a new search.

Tenafly Borough Administrator David Fanslau said the borough and other defendants had not been served with the complaint.

The allegations remain just that: allegations.

And the timing is notable beyond Tenafly. A similar "political power struggle" also clouded Teaneck's search for a new police chief.