Wilkes-Barre Mayor George C. Brown addresses concerns Thursday night from Susan Taylor, mother of a man who died last August after a physical altercation inside of a Wilkes-Barre bar.
Hannah Simerson | Times Leader
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WILKES-BARRE — Relatives of a man who died last year after a physical altercation at a Wilkes-Barre bar returned to City Council Thursday night to reiterate their concerns about how the investigation was handled.
As previously reported, 32-year-old Joshua Taylor died on Aug. 26, 2022 hours after a punch to the stomach by a fellow employee at Vesuvio’s Pizzeria and Bar on North Main Street. Relatives made presentations about the case before council last month.
Susan Taylor addressed council on Thursday to remind officials of her son’s death and to urge them to ensure the case, and its handling by the department, are being properly investigated.
Members of Taylor’s family believe the Wilkes-Barre Police Department failed to properly investigate Taylor’s death. They want to know the status of a complaint they filed last December against city police Det. Joseph Sinavage, who was assigned to the case, which was later transferred to the state Attorney General’s office.
“To think a lieutenant is going to handle a complaint about a fellow cop is troubling to me. Of course the lieutenant is going to side with the fellow coworker,” Taylor said.
Following an autopsy, the Luzerne County Coroner ruled Taylor’s death a homicide, caused by “blunt abdominal trauma.”
No one has been charged with Taylor’s death despite the existence of video surveillance footage.
At last month’s city council session, Mayor George C. Brown said the case had been assigned to the state Attorney General’s office, which was confirmed to the Times Leader by state officials and by Luzerne County District Attorney Sam Sanguedolce.
“I think complaints on a police officer should be handled by an outside agency so that it can be reviewed by someone truly unbiased and independent from the Wilkes-Barre Police Department,” Taylor added.
According to Brown, the case is out of the city’s hands, and that further investigation relies on the Attorney General’s results.
“Our hands are tied right now,” he said. “We can’t do anything until the Attorney General determines the outcome of the case.”
Last month, Brown confirmed to local media that there was an internal review of the family’s complaint against Sinavage, and that it was an ongoing process and there would be no public comment.
Councilwoman Beth Gilbert on Thursday added that since the last meeting, she had looked into Vesuvio’s liquor license, which she says has been expired since last August, according to information she received from the state Liquor Control Board.
Gilbert said the establishment is one of many that have created problems for the city in the past, and she urged council to find a way to crack down on the so-called “nuisance properties.”
“It’s just astonishing to me how we can just let these establishments run our city and, of course, the worst possible circumstance is what happened to Josh — that someone is killed in a bar like this,” she said.
There will be a silent march held on Aug. 26 in honor of the anniversary of her son’s passing, Taylor said.
The walk will begin at the Luzerne County Courthouse at 6 p.m. where participants will make their way toward Public Square.
Other action
Also during Thursday’s session, Sam Troy of Wilkes-Barre expressed concerns over the city’s fiscal matters, namely the hiring of Wilkes-Barre Finance Officer Brian Swetz, who Troy accused of having no experience.
“It’s about time this city shapes up its fiscal priorities and stops reckless spending in general — stop inflated salaries for people and stop excessive overtime,” Troy said.
Swetz, whose starting salary is $97,000, acted as Luzerne County’s budget/finance division head before accepting the position as Wilkes-Barre finance officer.
“I think the salary is a slap in the face to the average person in Wilkes-Barre who is struggling in some cases to make ends meet,” Troy said.
Mayor Brown rose to Swetz’ defense, citing his experience working with Luzerne County as an asset to the city’s administration.
“We’ve been trying to fill this job for roughly six, seven months and Mr. Swetz is the best qualified of all the applications that we’ve received,” Brown said.
Consent agenda
During the session, council approved:
• Accepting an insurance package submitted by Risk Strategies for a total annual premium of $889,840.
• Awarding a contract to Pioneer Construction Company, Inc. for the Solomon Creek Emergency Wall Repairs Project in the amount of roughly $750,000.
• Entering into an agreement with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and Alfred Benesch and Company to conduct design services for the North Washington Street Bridge.
• Entering into an agreement with Mountain Stream Construction in the amount of $920,000 for design and construction related to the Kirby Park Facility Building project.
• Entering into an agreement related to the Edward Bryne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant application, which, if approved, would amount to $28,820.