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Sean Tate, 36, of Woodbridge, was arrested on Tuesday, Feb. 18, and charged with first-degree murder and second-degree endangering the welfare of a child, Somerset County First Assistant Prosecutor Annemarie L. Mueller announced.
Franklin Township Police responded to a hotel in Franklin Township on Monday, Feb. 19, 2024, at 3:24 p.m. for a report of an unresponsive child, Mueller said. Tate told officers that his son had fallen off a toilet two days earlier, sustaining an injury, and had previously hit his head on an air conditioning unit, authorities said. Tate said he iced the injury before going to bed but woke up to find the child unresponsive, officials said.
The boy was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 5:24 p.m., Mueller said. Medical personnel reported that the child appeared emaciated and had multiple injuries, authorities said.
An autopsy conducted by the New Jersey Northern Regional Medical Examiner’s Office ruled the boy’s death a homicide on Feb. 4, 2025, Mueller said.
Following the investigation, Tate was arrested in Woodbridge without incident, Mueller said. He was booked into Somerset County Jail pending a detention hearing, authorities said.
Mueller thanked the Middlesex County SORT team, Woodbridge Police Department, and FBI Newark Field Office – Branchburg RA, for their assistance in the investigation.
Authorities urge anyone with information to contact the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit at (908) 231-7100 or the Franklin Township Police Department at (732) 873-5533. Anonymous tips can be submitted via the STOPit app or Somerset County Crime Stoppers' Tip Line at 1-888-577-TIPS (8477).
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