48°
Brian Cheda-Hackembruch, 25, of Andover Township (who you may remember from his involvement in a $1 million meth lab raid), and Matthew R. Thomas, 27, of Newton had found the body of an individual who died of a medical emergency in a Hopatcong home, Andover Township police said.
Instead of notifying officials, the pair loaded the victim into the trunk of his or her own vehicle, then hired a towing company to move the car to a street near West Lakeview Road, authorities said.
It wasn't until 12 p.m. Saturday when an area family called the police to report finding human remains in a doghouse underneath their deck, police said.
As it turns out, Cheda-Hackembruch and Thomas took the body from the trunk and dumped it in the family's doghouse, according to an investigation by the Sussex County Prosecutor's Office, Morris County Medical Examiner's Office and the New Jersey State Police Crime Scene Unit revealed.
Cheda-Hackembruch and Thomas had fled the scene but were found in Delaware the following day.
Both men are on probation with prior criminal records and were being held at a local correctional facility in Delaware awaiting extradition proceedings back to New Jersey.
“There is no foul play suspected at this time surrounding the victim's death and the investigation is ongoing into the details as to the removal of the deceased body,” Andover Township Police said.
Both were charged with second-degree disturbing or desecrating human remains. Additional charges are pending, police said.
Cheda-Hackembruch was previously charged after a raid of an Essex County home turned up more than 4,400 grams of heroin, methamphetamine and a slew of other drugs and paraphernalia, authorities said.
Thomas’ past convictions were not immediately clear.
Police departments in Hopatcong and Newton also assisted with the investigation.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Sussex and receive free news updates.
