Prosecutor: 2021 Sex Assault Attacker Still at Large; Investigation Active, Witnesses Sought

This month marks three years since a jogger was attacked and sexually assaulted by a stranger in a local park. The crime remains unsolved and the investigation is still active, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago announced, as a reminder to the public, on Tuesday.

“Despite a thorough investigation, we have yet to make an arrest in this case to date — but it remains our hope and belief that someone, somewhere, has information that would lead us to the individual responsible for this brazen and despicable act of sexual violence, committed against a stranger in broad daylight,” Prosecutor Santiago said. “This investigation will continue until that information is obtained and that individual is identified and apprehended.”

The case background …

The assault took place shortly after 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 4, 2021, approximately 100 feet off the Henry Hudson Trail in Big Brook Park in Marlboro, not far from the Trail’s eastern end at Boundary Road.

A joint investigation by the MCPO Special Victims Bureau and the Marlboro Township Police Department determined that the adult female victim had been jogging in the area when she noticed a male stretching nearby.

The man stretching physically attacked the victim, causing her to fall to the ground, and brandished a box cutter-style knife, which he used to cause minor injuries to her arms. The man then exposed himself and sexually assaulted the woman before fleeing the area in an unknown direction.

The suspect was described as a tan white adult male with medium-length hair, possibly of Eastern European descent, standing approximately 6 feet tall and weighing approximately 240 pounds, wearing a dark-colored hooded sweatshirt and sweatpants. He also reportedly had a raised scar on one ear, light facial hair, and a distinctive neck tattoo, as shown in the above sketch.

“This investigation has featured a combined total of hundreds of man-hours of work and follow-up on more than two dozen leads, some the result of the assigned detectives’ efforts and others the result of tips received from the public,” Prosecutor Santiago stated. “It has also involved multiple avenues of investigative strategies and techniques, which continue to evolve as new technology is developed.”

Anyone with information about this matter is still being urged to contact Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office Detective Kayla Santiago at 800-533-7443 or Marlboro Township Police Department Detective Michael Pecoraro at 732-536-0100.

Anyone who feels the need to remain anonymous but has information about this or any crime can submit a tip to Monmouth County Crime Stoppers by: calling their confidential telephone tip-line at 1-800-671-4400; downloading and using the free P3 Tips mobile app (available on iOS and Android at https://www.p3tips.com/1182), by calling 800-671-4400, or by going to the website at www.monmouthcountycrimestoppers.com.

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