Arthur Lomando Sr. said his son reached his breaking point when Suzanne Bardzell obtained a restraining order against him earlier this month.
MIDLAND PARK -- An ex-NYPD cop and the Midland Park woman he's accused of slashing to death in the driveway of her home fought often during their on-again-off-again relationship, a report says.
Arthur Lomando Sr. told Newsday that his son Arthur Lomando Jr. and the slashing victim, Suzanne Bardzell, "fought like cats and dogs" in the three years that they dated sporadically.
"I mean, don't get me wrong. I am sick to death of what happened," the elder Lomando told the newspaper. "That he actually took her life. It's beyond comprehension."
RELATED: Ex-cop accused of killing N.J. mom violated restraining order, officials say
Lomando, 44, of Centerreach, NY, is accused of ambushing Bardzell, 48, as she pulled into the driveway of her Godwin Avenue home Thursday afternoon and stabbing her with a machete-type knife. After the attack, he jumped in front of a subway train in Harlem and sustained serious injuries which required amputation of his legs, authorities have said.
His father told Newsday his son reached his breaking point when Bardzell obtained a restraining order against him earlier this month.
Midland Park police Chief Michael Powderley confirmed Friday that the restraining order was in place and that Suffolk County police had gone to Lomando's home two weeks before the slaying on allegations that Lomando violated that order.
Bardzell, a special education teacher at Community High School in Teaneck, was divorced and had two sons, ages 16 and 18, authorities said. She met Lomando through an online dating website.
New York State Court records show Lomando was fired from his job as an NYPD officer in 2004 after a decade on the force.
MaryAnn Spoto may be reached at mspoto@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @MaryAnnSpoto. Find NJ.com on Facebook.