NYPD Department Chief Jeffrey Maddrey unexpectedly resigned late Friday amid allegations of sexual misconduct against a subordinate, officials said Saturday, and the Manhattan district attorney’s office says it is investigating the allegations.

Maddrey, who joined the department in 1991, was the NYPD’s highest-ranking uniformed officer as of December 2022.

In a statement, the NYPD confirmed that Commissioner Jessica Tisch accepted Maddrey’s resignation on Friday and that it should take effect immediately. Tisch named patrol chief John Chell as interim department chief.

Maddrey’s resignation came after published reports that Lt. Quathisha Epps, 51, claimed Maddrey forced her to provide him with sexual favors in exchange for overtime at work. According to the reports, Epps was paid over $200,000 for overtime, an amount that doubled her salary. She was suspended from her job with the NYPD earlier this week, effective Dec. 18, department records show.

A spokesman for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said: “These are extremely serious and disturbing allegations that allegedly occurred at NYPD headquarters in Manhattan. We’re investigating.”

The allegations are the first scandal to confront Tisch, who took over as commissioner earlier this month, becoming the fourth person to hold the position during Mayor Eric Adams’ tenure. Her office released a statement saying, “The NYPD takes all allegations of sexual misconduct seriously and will thoroughly investigate this matter.”

Kayla Mamelak Altus, Adams’ press secretary, said in a statement: “We are deeply disturbed by these allegations and the NYPD is investigating this matter.”

“Mayor Adams is working closely with Police Commissioner Tisch as the NYPD conducts a separate department-wide review to ensure that no senior officers are improperly using their authority,” Altus said.

The allegations, first reported by the New York Post, detailed sexual behavior between 2023 and 2024.

Maddrey, who is married and lives in Queens, could not be reached for comment.

His lawyer, Lambros Lambrou, did not respond to a series of Newsday emails and calls for comment. Lambrou told the Post: “This is completely unfounded and we deny every aspect of it.”

On Saturday, Epps’ lawyer, Eric Sanders of Manhattan, told Newsday that he had filed complaints about the allegations with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the New York State Division of Human Rights.

He claimed the department was previously aware of Maddrey’s behavior. “If this had been nipped in the bud sooner, it would have stopped,” Sanders said.

According to Sanders, Epps had survived sexual trauma and abuse earlier in her life, and he claimed Maddrey exploited her. Records show she joined the NYPD in 2005 and until recently worked in Maddrey’s office as a lieutenant on special assignment.

According to the NYPD, the department chief oversees crime-fighting strategies, quality of life initiatives and operational plans. Maddrey earned $241,256 in 2023, according to public data released by the nonprofit Empire Center for Public Policy.

Maddrey had been the subject of inappropriate sexual allegations years ago with another female member of the NYPD.

In a federal lawsuit filed in Brooklyn in 2016, a former NYPD inspector alleged that she and Maddrey had a romantic relationship while both worked in the 75th Precinct in Brooklyn. The federal gender discrimination lawsuit was dismissed in 2019. Federal Judge Ann Donnelly found that Maddrey was placed on 45 days of leave for his actions.

Earlier this year, Maddrey was accused within the department of inappropriately canceling an arrest in Brooklyn. Former Commissioner Keechant Sewell had proposed stripping Maddrey of 10 vacation days, but an NYPD administrative law judge dismissed the case filed by the Civilian Complaint Review Board on jurisdictional grounds.

Anthony M. DeStefano has been a reporter for Newsday since 1986, covering law enforcement, criminal justice and legal matters from its New York bureau.