Man Accused Of Raping, Strangling Woman In Somerset County

FRANKLIN, NJ — A Franklin Township man was arrested and charged after a woman said he raped and strangled her on Sept. 11.

Mateo Espinal-Brito, 42, of Franklin Township, was charged with first-degree aggravated sexual assault, second-degree sexual assault, and second-degree aggravated assault-strangulation.

On Monday, Sept. 11, at around 5 a.m., an adult woman reported to Franklin Township Police that she was sexually assaulted by Espinal-Brito, who is known to her, said Somerset County Prosecutor John P. McDonald, Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Chief of County Detectives Francisco Roman Jr., and Franklin Township Public Safety Director Quovella M. Maeweather.

The woman said she was sexually assaulted and physically assaulted by Espinal-Brito in the early morning hours of Sept. 11.

Mateo Espinal-Brito was placed under arrest at the Franklin Township Police Department without incident following an investigation by the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Sex Crimes/Child Abuse Unit and detectives from the Franklin Township Police Department.

Espinal-Brito was taken to the Somerset County Jail pending a detention hearing in this matter.

Anyone with information relating to this incident is asked to contact the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Sex Crimes Unit at 908-231-7100 or the Franklin Township Police
Department at 732-873-5533 or via the STOPit app. The STOPit app allows citizens to provide
anonymous reports including videos and photos. STOPit can be downloaded to your smartphone 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.

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