MAN ARRESTED IN RARITAN FOR LEWDNESS CHARGED WITH BRIDGEWATER TOWNSHIP AND FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP SEXUAL ASSAULTS

MAN ARRESTED IN RARITAN FOR LEWDNESS CHARGED WITH BRIDGEWATER TOWNSHIP AND FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP SEXUAL ASSAULT SSOMERVILLE, N.J. – 

Somerset County Prosecutor John P. McDonald and Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Chief of County Detectives John W. Fodor announced the arrest of Rogelio Calyeca Postrero, age 38, First Avenue, Raritan, New Jersey in relation to an act of lewdness which occurred in Raritan Borough on August 4, 2022, and false government documents which occurred in Branchburg, New Jersey on December 20, 2021. Postrero was also subsequently charged with a sexual assault which occurred in Duke Island Park at approximately 8:45 pm on Sunday, July 18, 2021, in Bridgewater Township and a sexual assault which occurred near Blackwells Mills Road and Canal Road at approximately 5:50 pm on Monday, May 16, 2022, in Franklin Township, New Jersey. Prosecutor McDonald stated that on Thursday, August 4, 2022, at approximately 9:06 a.m., Raritan Borough Police received a 9-1-1 call reporting a Hispanic male in the area of the Nevius Street Bridge possibly masturbating in public. Upon arrival, Raritan Borough Police Officers made contact with Rogelio Postrero, an individual in the area of the bridge who matched the description provided by the 9-1-1 caller. Raritan Borough Police contacted detectives from the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Unit who responded to investigate. As a result of the investigation, Rogelio Postrero was arrested and charged on August 4, 2022 with Lewdness, a disorderly person’s offense. During this investigation, it was also determined that Rogelio Postrero was utilizing fraudulent identification for employment purposes in Somerset County, New Jersey. Defendant Postrero was also charged with two counts of 3rd degree Knowingly Exhibiting False Documents. Defendant Postrero was lodged in the Somerset County Jail pending a detention hearing.During the course of the on-going investigation, it was determined that Rogelio Postrero resembled both the New Jersey State Police composite sketch and the description provided by the victim of a sexual assault which occurred in the Township of Bridgewater on July 18, 2021, as well as the New Jersey State Police composite sketch and description provided by the victim of a sexual assault which occurred in the Township of Franklin on May 16, 2022. Prosecutor McDonald stated that on July 18, 2021, at approximately 9:07 p.m., Bridgewater Township Police received a 9-1-1 call reporting a sexual assault in Duke Island Park. Upon arrival, officers met with an adult female victim, a resident of a nearby town who reported being sexually assaulted by an unknown male while riding her bike in the park. Detectives from the Bridgewater Police Department and from the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Sex Crimes Unit conducted the investigation. The victim reported that the suspect came up behind her, held a knife to her throat and asked for her money. After handing over her money, the victim reported that the male sexually assaulted her in the nearby bushes and then fled the area on his bicycle towards Raritan. The victim described the suspect as a Hispanic male approximately 5’4 to 5’6 between 151 and 175 lbs. with a medium to stocky build and an olive to dark skin complexion. The male was reported to be in his 30’s with short black hair wearing a black hood and dark pants.Prosecutor McDonald stated that on Monday, May 16, 2022, at approximately 6:03 p.m., Franklin Township Police responded to a 9-1-1 call reporting a sexual assault on a park trail located near Blackwells Mills Road and Canal Road. Upon arrival, officers met with an adult female victim, who reported being assaulted by an unknown male while she was running on the trail. Responding Franklin Township Police along with Officers from Hillsborough Township Police Department, South Brunswick Police Department and Montgomery Township Police Department proceeded to establish a perimeter in an attempt to locate the suspect. Detectives from the Franklin Township Police Department along with detectives from the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit, Sex Crimes Unit, Crime Scene Investigations Unit and New Jersey State Park Police responded to conduct the investigation.The victim reported to authorities that the unknown male suspect who was on a bicycle got off of his bicycle and tackled her to the ground when she was running on a trail. The female victim fought with the male suspect as he attempted to sexually assault her. The victim was able to fight her attacker and escape from the assault, immediately notifying authorities by dialing 9-1-1. The victim described the suspect as a Hispanic male approximately 5’6” to 5’7”, heavier build, approximately mid 30’s, wearing black pants or shorts, a green hoodie, and a blue gator face covering. The suspect is said to have fled the area on a bicycle.

The victim was transported to an area hospital for treatment and released.Once it was determined that defendant Postrero resembled the New Jersey State Police composite sketches, further investigation was conducted which involved the issuance of a Superior Court search warrant for the residence of defendant Rogelio Postrero. As a result of the execution of the Superior Court search warrant, further evidence was located including a bicycle that matched the description provided during the investigation of the Franklin Township assault. In addition, an analysis was completed by the New Jersey State Police Office of Forensic Sciences Central Regional Laboratory which confirmed that defendant Rogelio Postrero’s DNA matched the profile obtained from the previous assault at Duke Island Park in the Township of Bridgewater. Prosecutor McDonald stated on Friday, August 5, 2022, authorities charged defendant Rogelio Calyeca Postrero with two counts of 1st degree Aggravated Sexual Assault. Defendant Postrero remains lodged at the Somerset County Jail awaiting a detention hearing in the matter. Prosecutor McDonald would like to thank Chief Raymond Nolte and members of the Raritan Borough Police Department, Chief Paul Payne and members of the Bridgewater Township Police Department, Franklin Township Public Safety Director Quovella M. Maeweather and members of the Franklin Township Police Department, the New Jersey State Police Office of Forensic Sciences Central Regional Laboratory, the Department of Homeland Security Investigations and the Federal Bureau of Investigation Franklin Township Resident Agency for their assistance in this investigation. 

Prosecutor McDonald also commends the private citizen who notified Raritan Borough Police of the alleged act of lewdness which led authorities to the apprehension of the defendant. Prosecutor McDonald and Chief Fodor request anyone with information relating to these matters to contact the Somerset County Prosecutors Office Sex Crimes Unit at (908) 231-7100 or via the STOPit app. The STOPit app allows citizens to provide anonymous reports including videos and photos. STOPit can be downloaded to your smart phone for free at the Google Play Store or Apple App Store, access code: SOMERSETNJ. Information can also be provided through the Somerset County Crime Stoppers’ Tip Line at 1-888-577-TIPS (8477). All anonymous STOPit reports, and Crime Stopper tips will be kept confidential. NOTE: The charges are merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

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