Prosecutor: Business Owner Arrested, Charged with Sexual Assault of Child

A 52-year-old male business owner has been arrested and charged with sexual assault after alleged inappropriate contact with a customer who was a minor, Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni said on Friday.

Brian Young
Photo/MCPO

Brian Young, 52, the owner of Big Frog Custom T-Shirts & More, a Howell Center Shopping Plaza store on Route 9, was arrested and charged Friday, Nov. 9, with second-degree sexual assault and third-degree endangering the welfare of a child.

An investigation was launched after Howell Township Police Department received a report that the victim, a minor, was inappropriately touched by Young while inside his business.

The case is a joint investigation by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit and the Howell Township Police Department.

If convicted of second-degree sexual assault, Young faces a maximum of 10 years in a New Jersey state prison, subject to the No Early Release Act (NERA), which requires the defendant to serve 85 percent of the sentence before he is eligible for release. If convicted of third-degree endangering the welfare of a child, Young faces a maximum of five years of incarceration. Should Young be convicted of either crime, he will be subject to the provisions of Megan’s Law and to Parole Supervision for Life.

Young remains incarcerated at the Monmouth County Correctional Institution, Freehold, pending his initial appearance.

Investigators are seeking additional information about Young’s activities and are looking to identify other possible victims. Anyone with any information, please contact Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office Detective Thomas Manzo Jr. at 800-533-7443 or Howell Township Police Department Detective Robert Ortenzi at 732-938-4111.

— Edited press release from the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office