Jenni “JWoww” Farley told police that her husband, Roger Mathews, was harassing her by filming her without consent, which is why a judge granted the Jersey Shore star’s restraining order against him late Thursday night.
TMZ reports that sources close to the estranged couple said that Farley waited until Mathews went to bed Thursday night to contact authorities, saying that he was harassing her.
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In a series of videos sent to social media Thursday night and Friday morning, Mathews said he was awoken by police at his and Farley’s New Jersey home and forced to leave the residence.
While Mathews railed against Farley on social media for being “hate-filled” and taking him away from his children, Farley appeared not to want the restraining order to cover the kids — just her.
Surveillance video from inside the home during the incident shows Farley tearfully telling police that he was “not a bad dad” and that she didn’t want the kids to be affected by the order of protection. But police told her that if she wanted to limit the temporary order she’d have to do it in court, TMZ reports.
Farley’s Jersey Shore co-star and close friend Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi hinted at the alleged harassment allegations when she wrote on social media that Mathews was taunting Farley by recording her with his phone to get a rise out of her. Mathews admitted to recording Farley but said he only did so because his attorney advised him to.
A source close to Farley told Us Weekly on Sunday that the temporary restraining order against Mathews was not an attempt to keep him from seeing their kids. Farley was reportedly actively working to make sure their family wasn’t torn apart by the drama.
“Jenni would never take her kids from Roger. The judge said Roger wasn’t allowed to see the kids and so Jenni went through extreme measures Friday to have someone get in front of a judge to make sure Roger could see the kids,” the source said. “Within 24 hours, he was with his son.”
Mathews revealed on Instagram that he was spending time with their 2-year-old son, Greyson on Sunday. They also share 4-year-old daughter Meilani, who is sick with the flu and spending time with Farley during her recovery.
“Meilani has flu type A. Kids die from type A,” the source said. “She’s not allowed to leave the house and the judge told Roger that Meilani has to be with her mother. Roger is not with his daughter because she’s sick as a dog, not because Jenni is keeping Roger from Meilani.”
“Jenni is such a devoted mom. She has the biggest heart too,” the source continued. “She has pulled out of all engagements for an indefinite amount of time to be home and be with her children and figure out this situation. She is devastated as a mother. But her focus remains on her kids. She has been going down this natural, holistic path, trying to heal her autistic son, and clearly what Greyson has been going through isn’t a stress-free situation for any family.”
The drama comes about three months after Farley filed for divorce in September. At the time, Mathews said publicly that he’d try to win his wife back, but at this point, he has given up on his promise.
“There is NO chance [Jenni and Roger] will reconcile,” the source said. “But they were a great couple. There was never any big disaster or anything in their marriage. He was once a good husband and he is a great dad. … He just can’t handle that her focus isn’t on him and their marriage.”
TMZ reports that the estranged couple has been in counseling for the past three months, but that after the restraining order drama, neither are trying to save the marriage anymore.