Prosecutor: Area Man Gets 41.5 Years for Aggravated Sexual Assault, Stalking of Pre-Teen

An area man has been sentenced to 41½ years in prison after being convicted of the aggravated sexual assault (and related crimes) of a pre-teen over the course of roughly a year, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago announced on Wednesday.

John K. Cruz, 54, of Howell, was sentenced yesterday by Monmouth County Superior Court Judge Richard W. English, who noted that Cruz must serve at least 85 percent of the first 40 years of his term before becoming eligible for parole, under the provisions of New Jersey’s No Early Release Act (NERA).

The case background …

An investigation involving members of the MCPO Special Victims Bureau and Howell and Marlboro police departments was initiated in October of 2022. The victim informed her mother that Cruz, a longtime family friend, had sexually assaulted her on multiple occasions, both at his home in Howell and at her home in Marlboro. Cruz was arrested shortly thereafter; and, in October of 2023, a Monmouth County Grand Jury returned a six-count superseding indictment against him.

Following a bench trial before Judge English held last fall, Cruz was convicted of: first-degree aggravated sexual assault, second-degree sexual assault, third-degree endangering the welfare of a child, and fourth-degree stalking. The stalking charge involved his secretly placing a camera in the victim’s family home.

The 40-year term applied to the aggravated sexual assault charge, while the other counts were merged into the sentence, with the exception of an 18-month consecutive term for the stalking charge.

After becoming eligible for parole, at which time he would be in his late 80s, Cruz would have to register as a sex offender under Megan’s Law and be subject to parole supervision for life.

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