HIGHTSTOWN, NJ — Local faith leaders will hold a candlelight vigil Monday, Sept. 28, at the Memorial Park Bridge in support of the victims of recent sexual assaults in town.
Community members will gather at 7 p.m., for a brief time of prayer, silence, song and candle lighting.
"Our hearts are breaking for the survivors, their families, and for our community which is feeling so much fear," said Lisa Day, pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Hightstown. "We wanted to provide a place for neighbors to gather and literally to shine light into darkness."
Joy Arroyo, pastor of the First United Methodist Church of Hightstown, said faith leaders have been "shocked and saddened" by the acts of violence.
"This vigil will allow us as neighbors to stand together and show our support for the survivors, and all survivors of sexual assault," Arroyo said.
Day and Arroyo will lead a brief litany, followed by a time of silence, and the WHACAN Singers will lead the gathering in song.
"All neighbors of any faith or no faith are welcome to come and show solidarity and demonstrate the kind of caring community we know this to be," Day said.
Attendees are welcome to bring their own candles, and candles will also be provided. Free parking is available in the lot next to the park.
The vigil follows an assault reported around 8 p.m. on Sept. 11, when a 34-year-old woman told police she was approached from behind by an unknown man and physically and sexually assaulted while walking near Park Way and Rogers Avenue.
Hightstown Police Chief Frank G. Gendron later addressed community concerns and confirmed that police are investigating two separate incidents that occurred several months apart. Both cases remain active, he said, and authorities have not yet determined whether they are connected. The Hightstown Police Department has also increased patrols throughout the borough for the foreseeable future.
On Tuesday, the Mercer County Prosecutor's Office released video footage from the area of the assault and asked for the public's help identifying a man police want to speak with as a person of interest.
Anyone with information about the incident, or who has had a similar encounter, is asked to contact Sgt. Sherika Salmon of the prosecutor's office Special Victims Unit at 609-960-3119 or Detective Natalie Martinez at 609-331-4318. Tips can also be submitted anonymously at mercercountyprosecutor.com/tips.
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