On Tuesday, August 25, 2026, at about 7:34 p.m., Officer Matthew Fenuccio rushed to the Paxton Street area where vehicles stop over to watch the Worcester Airport runway after a woman contacted 911 to report a domestic incident with her boyfriend.
Michelle Parker, Nicholas Wilson, and Sergeant Travis McCauley from Leicester Police Department all came to the scene.
Officer Fenuccio stated that while en route to the area, dispatch notified the responding officers that a woman had called 911 to report a domestic argument with her boyfriend, who was allegedly holding their 2-year-old daughter and threatening the mother for calling police.
Officer Fenuccio stated that he and Officer Parker spotted a woman standing outside a gray 2012 Volkswagen Jetta with Massachusetts plates.
“Next to the female was a male party holding a young female child approximately 15 feet away,” Officer Fennucio stated. Following that, “The male suspect was later identified as Mr. Seth Cardinale.”
According to investigators, Seth M. Cardinale, 34, lives in Leicester, Massachusetts.
Officer Fenuccio stated that he instructed Cardinale to hand over the female minor to Officer Parker. Cardinale first resisted, but eventually agreed.
“Officer Wilson and I brought Seth a few feet further away from [the reporting party] to have more separation,” Officer Fenuccio stated.
Cardinale informed Officer Fenuccio that he and the reporting party were driving, and the reporting party “threatened to drop him off at the police station.” Cardinale then claimed that the reporting party was upset because he chose to drink, which has been a major issue in their relationship.
“As Seth continued to talk to me, I could smell a strong odor of alcoholic beverage emanating from his breath,” Officer Fenuccio stated. Cardinale reportedly had bloodshot, glassy eyes and slurred speech.
“Seth was very distracted and continuously looked over at [the reporting party] who was now holding [the female juvenile],” Officer Fenuccio stated.
Officer Fenuccio stated that based on Cardinale’s alleged threats to the reporting party and evident intoxication, he placed him in handcuffs behind his back, double-locked him, and checked for correct tightness.
“I then secured him in the rear of Officer Parker’s cruiser,” Officer Fenuccio claimed. “I explained to Seth that he was only being detained at this time until officers got all sides of the story.”
Officers Fenuccio and Wilson then met with Officer Parker and Sergeant McCauley to discuss their findings from the reporting party.
“[The reporting party] stated that Seth had lied to her earlier about him going to an alcohol rehabilitation facility, he instead got ‘drunk,'” Officer Fenuccio stated.
According to Officer Fenuccio, the reporting party indicated that Cardinale threatened her, stating, “If you don’t turn around, I am going to kill you and your kids are going to watch,” and that he could “hurt her from a long distance.”
“She explained that Seth tried to take her cell phone away from her so she could not call the police,” Officer Fenuccio responded. “[The reporting party] also stated that just prior to her pulling over the vehicle, Seth headbutted her (prompting her to pull over).”
Officer Fenuccio stated that a witness was sitting in the reporting party’s vehicle, a 2012 Volkswagen Jetta.
“[The witness] stated that she was parked in her car off to the side of the road,” Officer Fenuccio explained. “While parked in her car [the reporting party’s] vehicle pulled up behind her.”
The witness stated that after the reporting party parked her car, she heard a noise coming from within.
“She heard Seth swearing and yelling at [the reporting party],” Officer Fenuccio explained. The witness claimed that at one point, the reporting party exited her vehicle, approached her, grabbed her arm, and begged for assistance.
Around this time, Officer Fenuccio stated that he chose to arrest Seth M. Cardinale, 34, of Leicester, for the following:
- Assault and battery on a family household member
- Reckless Endangerment of a child
- Witness Intimidation
- Threat to commit a crime
Officer Fenuccio stated that he read Cardinale his Miranda rights on the scene at approximately 7:46 p.m.
CardinalHe was subsequently escorted to the Leicester Police Department and booked without incident.
Cardinale’s bail amount was set at $5,000.
“Seth was transported to Spencer police for holding until he can be brought before the court,” Officer Fenuccio stated. He also stated that Cardinale would be available for out-of-court bond after 1:30 a.m. due to the state’s six-hour required holding period for domestic abuse crimes.
Sergeant McCauley phoned the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families (DCF) to file a verbal 51A report due to the claimed threat to the female juvenile during the incident and the actions before it. (A 51A form is a mandatory report that Massachusetts professionals working with children must file with the DCF if they suspect a kid is being abused, neglected, or both.)
Cardinale was arraigned in East Brookfield District Court on August 26, 2026. During his arraignment, the judge approved the Commonwealth’s motion to revoke Cardinale’s bail and ordered him jailed for 90 days, concluding on November 29, 2026.
Cardinale was released to Recovery Centers of America (RCA), an addiction treatment facility in Danvers, after a status hearing on September 2, 2026. Cardinale’s bail was reduced and reinstated to personal recognizance during a subsequent status hearing on September 3, 2026.
Cardinale’s next court appearance is a compliance and election hearing set for November 18, 2026.
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