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Robert Rentas, 35, of the 100 block of Calhoun Street in Trenton, was charged with first-degree strict liability for drug-induced death and distribution of a controlled dangerous substance, according to Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina and Eastampton Township Police Chief Joseph Iacovitti.
A detention hearing was scheduled for Friday in Superior Court.
An investigation began on Nov. 12, 2020, after Emergency Medical Services personnel and Eastampton police responded to a residence on a report of a 34-year-old unresponsive male, Coffina and Iacovitti said. Narcan was administered and chest compressions were performed, but it was determined by EMS workers on the scene that the victim was dead and beyond resuscitative efforts, they said. The victim's name was not released by authorities.
An autopsy performed by Burlington County Medical Examiner Dr. Ian Hood determined the death was caused by fentanyl toxicity, they said, and the investigation revealed that the drugs that led to the fatal overdose had been purchased from Rentas.
Rentas has been held in the Burlington County Jail in Mount Holly ever since his arrest on Dec. 1.
The case was investigated by the Eastampton Township Police Department and the Prosecutor’s Office Gang, Gun and Narcotics Task Force, with assistance from the BCPO High-Tech Crimes Unit and the New Jersey State Police.
Rentas will be prosecuted by Assistant Prosecutor Laura Heisman.
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