48°
Kevin Ruditsky, 46, who works in Manalapan Township, is believed to have sent the 16-year-old girl sexually explicit photos and handcuffed her during a traffic stop, according to Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago.
An investigation by the MCPO Professional Responsibility Unit was initiated earlier this month upon learning that Ruditsky had been sending inappropriate messages and photos to a 16-year-old girl, the prosecutor said.
The alleged conduct began during Manalapan Township’s National Night Out event, part of an annual community outreach campaign in which numerous police departments countywide participated.
Ruditsky was in full uniform at the time, and after allowing the victim to sit in his patrol car, later that evening and in the days that followed, he began sending her sexually explicit messages and photos over social media – despite the victim having repeatedly informed him of her age, the prosecutor said.
The investigation also found that several days after National Night Out, while the victim was driving on Route 9, Ruditsky pulled her over, unlawfully handcuffed her, and attempted to kiss her while his dash camera and body-worn camera were both deactivated.
The investigation further revealed that Ruditsky conducted lookups of the victim in a law enforcement database, outside the purview of any legitimate law enforcement purpose, and on one occasion he parked his marked patrol vehicle outside of the victim’s home – after she had refused to provide him with her home address, the prosecutor said.
Ruditsky was arrested without incident and was held in the Monmouth County Correctional Institution.
“That a sworn member of law enforcement would begin to so egregiously violate the public’s trust while in uniform at an event specifically intended to strengthen trust between law enforcement and the public is, in a word, unconscionable,” Santiago said. “Swift action in addressing this conduct, culminating in the charges being announced today, was an absolute imperative.”
Manalapan Township Police Chief Edward Niesz said, "We are deeply saddened and disturbed that this victim had her trust betrayed by a man wearing one of our uniforms."
Ruditsky has been suspended without pay, the chief said. He was charged with second-degree Endangering the Welfare of a Child, second-degree Official Misconduct, third-degree Computer Theft, third-degree Hindering Apprehension, fourth-degree Stalking, and False Imprisonment,
Anyone with information about this or related matters is urged to contact MCPO Detective Gregory Hilton II at 800-533-7443.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Jersey City and receive free news updates.
