Brick Man Charged With Megan's Law Registration Violation

A Brick Township man was arrested Wednesday and charged with failure to register as a sex offender, according to the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office.

Anthony M. Palazzolo, 26, was charged with third-degree failure to register out of Brick Township within 10 days of moving under Megan’s Law.

Palazzolo is a Tier 2 sex offender, according to the New Jersey State Police sex offender database. He was convicted in 2004 of criminal sexual contact and endangering the welfare of a child, according to the database.

An investigation into Palazzolo’s whereabouts was opened during Thanksgiving week by Sgt. Michael V. Cecchini of the Megan’s Law Unit of the Special Investigations Bureau of the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, said Al Della Fave, spokesman for the prosecutor’s office.

Registrants are required by New Jersey state law to either register annually or every ninety (90) days with the police department of the municipality in which they reside and when they change addresses. The investigation revealed that Palazzolo failed to register out with the Brick Township Police Department and was living in Monmouth County, Della Fave said.

He was arrested by Cecchini, Detective John M. Argento of the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Megan’s Law Unit and Detective Sergeant Jay Fox from the Marlboro Police Department located and arrested Palazzo without incident. Palazzo was taken to the Monmouth County Correctional Facility and was transferred to Ocean County Jail, where he is being held in lieu of $5,000 bail, no 10 percent, Della Fave said.

Palazzolo remains in custody pending posting bail and presentment of this charge to an Ocean County Grand Jury. The criminal complaint is now turned over for prosecution by Assistant Ocean County Prosecutor Ehsan F. Chowdhry.

Anyone with relevant information should contact Cecchini at 732-929 2027 ext. 7918. The information may be given anonymously.