Former Hasbrouck Heights Cop Confesses To Killing Friend

A former Hasbrouck Heights cop has confessed to killing his friend nearly four years ago in a dispute over money, The Record reported.

Scott J. Smith confessed in state Superior Court in Hackensack Thursday to killing John Amendola of Wood-Ridge on Dec. 11, 2011, the newspaper reported. As part of a plea agreement, he’ll receive a 25-year sentence in state prison for aggravated manslaughter.

Authorities have said Smith was visiting his friend John Amendola in Wood-Ridge in 2011 when the two began to argue. The argument escalated and Smith stabbed Amendola with a knife.

Smith, who served as an officer in Hasbrouck Heights for seven years, retired from the department in 2008 at the age of 29. Two years later, he was arrested on more than 40 drug-related charges, including fraudulently obtaining prescription pills.