Central Jersey Man Who Raped Two Girls Over Several Years Sentenced, Prosecutors Say Central Jersey Man Who Raped Two Girls Over Several Years Sentenced, Prosecutors Say
Central Jersey Man Who Raped Two Girls Over Several Years Sentenced, Prosecutors Say An Eatontown man will spend at least four decades in prison after he was convicted of raping two girls over several years, authorities said. Gerell Schmitt, 36, was sentenced on Tuesday, July 9 to 48 years in state prison, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond Santiago said in a news release on Monday, July 15. He was charged in several sexual assaults of two young girls that started a little more than a decade ago. A relative of the two victims first reported the abuse to Eatontown police in September 2020. Both girls were under 13 at the time of the sexual assaults. Investiga…
Another Female NJ Teacher Charged With Having Sexual Relationship With Student Another Female NJ Teacher Charged With Having Sexual Relationship With Student
Another Female NJ Teacher Charged With Having Sexual Relationship With Student Yet another New Jersey teacher has been accused of having a sexual relationship with a student. Julie Rizzitello, 36, submitted her resignation letter as a Wall Township High School teacher earlier this week amid being criminal charges stemming from the sexual assault of a student, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago said. The Brick Township resident has been charged with two counts of second-degree Sexual Assault, third-degree Witness Tampering, and three counts of fourth-degree Criminal Sexual Contact, Santiago said Thursday, July 4 alongside Wall Township Police Chie…
South Jersey Man, 58, Gets Prison For Sexually Assaulting 5 Girls Under Age Of 13: Prosecutor South Jersey Man, 58, Gets Prison For Sexually Assaulting 5 Girls Under Age Of 13: Prosecutor
South Jersey Man, 58, Gets Prison For Sexually Assaulting 5 Girls Under Age Of 13: Prosecutor A 58-year-old man from Vineland was sentenced to 10 years in New Jersey State Prison for sexually assaulting five girls under the age of 13 over a 10-year period, authorities said. Jesus Figueroa was sentenced on Friday, June 28, according to Cumberland County Prosecutor Jennifer Webb-McRae. Figueroa must serve a minimum of 85% of the 10 years before being considered eligible for parole, she said. Upon release, he will be required to register as a sex offender under Megan’s Law and be subject to parole supervision for life. On Sept. 8, 2022, Figueroa, was charged w…
NJ State Trooper Tried To Pay Girl For Sex, Asked For Sexual Pictures: Prosecutors NJ State Trooper Tried To Pay Girl For Sex, Asked For Sexual Pictures: Prosecutors
NJ State Trooper Tried To Pay Girl For Sex, Asked For Sexual Pictures: Prosecutors A state trooper was accused of trying to pay for sex from someone he believed was a teen girl and asking for sexual pictures, authorities said. Shane Dempsey, 31, of Brick Township, was arrested in Ewing on Monday, July 1, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond Santiago said in a news release. Investigators said Dempsey contacted an undercover detective on the social media app Whisper earlier in 2024.  Prosecutors said Dempsey asked for "sexually explicit images" from the detective, who he thought was a 14-year-old girl. He also said he would pay money for a sex act fro…
South Jersey Man, 76, Guilty Of Sexually Assaulting 9-Year-Old Girl: Prosecutor South Jersey Man, 76, Guilty Of Sexually Assaulting 9-Year-Old Girl: Prosecutor
South Jersey Man, 76, Guilty Of Sexually Assaulting 9-Year-Old Girl: Prosecutor A jury has convicted a 76-year-old Pennsauken man for sexually assaulting a 9-year-old girl about six years ago, authorities said. Joseph Jackson was found guilty on Friday, June 28, of two counts of second-degree sexual assault involving a victim under the age of 13, according to Camden County Prosecutor Grace C. MacAulay and Pennsauken Police Chief Phil Olivo. Jackson also was found guilty of two counts of second-degree child endangerment, they said. The guilty verdict was returned after a jury trial in Camden County Superior Court. The assaults occurred between…
Special Education Teacher Accused Of Sexually Assaulting Student, Monmouth Prosecutor Says Special Education Teacher Accused Of Sexually Assaulting Student, Monmouth Prosecutor Says
Special Education Teacher Accused Of Sexually Assaulting Student, Monmouth Prosecutor Says A special education teacher in Monmouth County was accused of sexually assaulting a student, authorities said. Allison Havemann-Niedrach, 43, of Jackson Township, was charged with first-degree aggravated sexual assault and second-degree endangering the welfare of a child. Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond Santiago announced her arrest in a news release on Saturday, June 29.  Prosecutors said Havemann-Niedrach is a teacher at Freehold Intermediate School and according to her LinkedIn profile, she teaches special education in the borough's district. He…
NJ Restaurant Owner Preyed On Job Applicant, Sexually Assaulted Others, Authorities Say NJ Restaurant Owner Preyed On Job Applicant, Sexually Assaulted Others, Authorities Say
NJ Restaurant Owner Preyed On Job Applicant, Sexually Assaulted Others, Authorities Say The owner of three restaurants in Trenton has been arrested for multiple sexual assaults including a job applicant, authorities said. Gerald Araya, 44, of Ewing, was arrested in Trenton on Wednesday, June 19, according to Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo J. Onofri, Lawrence Township Police Chief Christopher Longo and Trenton Police Director Steve Wilson.  He is charged with five counts of first-degree aggravated sexual assault, one count of first-degree sexual assault, two counts of second-degree sexual assault, one count of first-degree kidnapping, two counts o…
9-Year-Old Found Strangled In Bristol Church, Tips Sought 62 Years Later 9-Year-Old Found Strangled In Bristol Church, Tips Sought 62 Years Later
9-Year-Old Found Strangled In Bristol Church, Tips Sought 62 Years Later Pennsylvania State Police investigators are seeking tips in a 9-year-old girl's cold case murder.  Carol Ann Dougherty was found dead inside St. Mark’s Roman Catholic Church in Bristol Borough on Oct. 22, 1962. She was strangled and had been sexually assaulted, according to troopers.  Police said Dougherty had stopped at the church while riding her bike to the library. She had stopped there to say a prayer, according to a report in the Bristol Courier-Times the day after her murder.  Then-Bristol Police Chief Vincent Faragalli called her killing "one of the most br…
NJ Amtrak Employee Lied To Feds Investigating Sleeper Car Sex Assault, DOJ Says NJ Amtrak Employee Lied To Feds Investigating Sleeper Car Sex Assault, DOJ Says
NJ Amtrak Employee Lied To Feds Investigating Sleeper Car Sex Assault, DOJ Says An Amtrak employee from New Jersey has been charged in a federal indictment for lying to federal investigators questioning him about a sexual assault he allegedly carried out on a passenger during a trip from Washington DC to Chicago, authorities said. Maurice Driver, 35, of Gloucester City, NJ, was charged with lying to a federal agent in a five-count indictment unsealed on Tuesday, June 4, U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Special Agent in Charge Mike Waters of the Amtrak Office of Inspector General Eastern Area Field Office announced. Driver had been working as a lead service atte…
Cumberland County Man Gets 10 Years For Sexually Assaulting Child, Authorities Say Cumberland County Man Gets 10 Years For Sexually Assaulting Child, Authorities Say
Cumberland County Man Gets 10 Years For Sexually Assaulting Child, Authorities Say A 39-year-old Cumberland County man has been sentenced to 10 years in New Jersey State Prison for sexually assaulting a child multiple times over a decade, authorities said. Juan Hernandez-Antonio, of Bridgeton, was charged in April 2022 with aggravated sexual assault, sexual assault and child endangerment, according to the Cumberland County Prosecutor’s Office. Superior Court Judge William Ziegler sentenced Hernandez-Antonio on Friday, May 31 to 10 years, with a requirement that he serve 85% of that time before he’s eligible for parole, according to the courts' assistant criminal division …
Special Education Teacher Sexually Touched 14 Students In South Jersey: Prosecutor Special Education Teacher Sexually Touched 14 Students In South Jersey: Prosecutor
Special Education Teacher Sexually Touched 14 Students In South Jersey: Prosecutor A special education teacher who was charged last year with sexually touching seven children has been charged with touching an additional seven students, authorities said. Vincent Root, 59, of Philadelphia, a teacher at Chatsworth Elementary School, has been charged with 14 counts of sexual assault and 14 counts of child endangerment, according to Burlington County Prosecutor LaChia L. Bradshaw The investigation began in September 2023 after a student accused Root of touching him inappropriately during previous school years, the prosecutor said. The investigation revealed that the victi…