Jersey City Police Remove Self-Proclaimed Journalist from Church Amid Controversy

Jersey City, NJ –

A worship service at Monumental Baptist Church on Sunday was disrupted when Leroy Truth, a self-proclaimed investigative journalist, was removed by law enforcement. The incident has sparked controversy, with Truth accusing the church of violating his rights.

According to a source, Truth began playing the piano without permission from church leaders and had to be asked to stop. Witnesses report that he later filmed inside the church—a private property—and asked pointed questions about former Governor Jim McGreevy and Union City Mayor Brian Stack, which left congregants uncomfortable. Officers were eventually called to remove him.

Truth posted the video of him playing the church piano with the caption “Grammy-Winning Pianist and Investigative Journalist Leroy Truth Violently Removed from Monumental Baptist Church While Praying: Exposing Jim McGreevy and Reverend Daryl Griffin’s Monumental Hypocrisy””

Truth also claims to be a five-time Grammy winner, but records suggest otherwise. Under his given name, Leonard Filipowski, he contributed as a pianist to Grammy-winning Polish polka albums by Jimmy Sturr and His Orchestra in the 1990s. While he was part of Grammy-winning projects, there is no evidence that he personally received an award.

In a video posted by Truth himself, he can be heard insisting that he was simply praying and should be allowed to stay. An officer explains in the footage that the church has asked him to leave. When the officer grabs Truth to escort him out, Truth throws himself to the ground and begins screaming. The video, widely shared online, has drawn mixed reactions from viewers.

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This is not the first time Truth has been involved in public altercations. In a previous incident, he clashed with a female Union City commissioner in a confrontation that escalated into a physical altercation.

Following the removal from the church, Truth posted inflammatory remarks on social media targeting Reverend Daryl Griffin. In one post, he shared an image of the reverend with the caption: “I’M THE HEAD OF SECURITY AT MONUMENTAL BAPTIST CHURCH AND I LOVE IT WHEN JERSEY CITY POLICE COME AND VIOLENTLY DRAG OUT AN INNOCENT MAN SILENTLY PRAYING IN OUR CHURCH!! MUAH! HA! HA!”

Truth also accused the church of violating its tax-exempt status by allowing Governor Phil Murphy to endorse McGreevy during the service. He has demanded an apology and an investigation into the church’s leadership.

Churches are private property and have the legal right to ask individuals to leave if their behavior is deemed disruptive. Both Monumental Baptist Church and representatives for McGreevy declined to comment on the incident.

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