Mayor Publicly Calls Out Cop Turned 'Love Island: USA' Contestant

The cast of the upcoming season of Love Island: USA was announced on Thursday and there's at least one person who is not happy with this summer's selection of sexy singles. Mayor J. William Reynolds of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, called out one of the new islanders for resigning from his job as a police officer in order to compete on the reality dating show.

29-year-old Sean Reifel appeared in Peacock's Meet the Islanders announcement video this past week for the upcoming eighth season, describing himself as a working cop. "I'm not a model, not an actor, I'm a police officer actually," Reifel said in the teaser, "you could be having the worst day of your life, and I'll just help you sift through that."

But just one day later, Mayor Reynolds, who heads the police department that employed Reifel, said that his claim is no longer entirely accurate. Talking to local Pennsylvania ABC News affiliate WHTM, Reifel resigned from his position on May 20 after less than one year on the job.

"Our police department spent a lot of time training and we paid thousands of taxpayer dollars to send him to the police academy," Mayor Reynolds said, "We are disappointed he left as we now have another vacancy in our department that is impossible to fill until next year."

The Bethlehem Police Chief, Reifel's former boss, also weighed in on the casting decision. "I love Sean, he's a good guy," Chief Michelle Kott told Pennsylvania news outlet The Morning Call, "he was a great officer, but I'm disappointed." An old Facebook post from the Bethlehem Police Department in August 2025 shows Officer Reifel being sworn in by Mayor Reynolds. Now, ten months later, Reynolds says, "I never thought I'd see the day in America where reality show participation wins out over being a police officer."

Not everyone in town feels the same way, though. Reifel's sister commented on an E! News post about the local drama, saying that the mayor's comments were antiquated. "This could have been a great opportunity for the mayor and police department to connect with the community, generate positive publicity for the town, and help improve perceptions of law enforcement," she said.

This story was originally published by Men's Journal on Jun 3, 2026, where it first appeared in the Entertainment section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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This story was originally published June 3, 2026 at 2:13 PM.