Lacey Man Charged In Sex Assaults Of 3 Boys Back To 1998: Prosecutor

LACEY, NJ -- A Forked River man has been charged with sexual assault after three men accused him of assaulting them in incidents that date back to 1998, when the three were preteens and teenagers, according to the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office.

Philip M. Caputo, 60, of the Forked River section of the township, has been charged with two counts of aggravated sexual assault, one count of sexual assault and two counts of attempted sexual assault, Ocean County Prosecutor Joseph D. Coronato and Lacey Township Police Chief Dave Paprota said in a joint announcement.

Caputo's arrest stems from an investigation that began on Dec. 21 when the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Special Victims Unit was contacted by a young man who alleged Caputo sexually assaulted him in 1998 when the victim was 12 years old, said Al Della Fave, spokesman for the prosecutor's office.

The alleged assaults happened on multiple occasions in Lacey and in Florida, Della Fave said.

Detective Alex Bromley of the prosecutor's office and Lacey Detective Brian Flynn investigated and as they did, a second young man came forward, alleging Caputo attempted to sexually assault him from the age of 11 to 17. Then a third male victim reported that Caputo allegedly sexually assaulted him at the age of 11. The investigation revealed each victim was known to Caputo at the time of the alleged offenses, Della Fave said.

Caputo, who is a self-employed contractor, was arrested Friday at 8:15 a.m. at his home by Bromley and Flynn, with the charges approved by Senior Assistant Prosecutor Terry Ann Linardakis, he said.

Caputo’s bail was set at $200,000 cash by Superior Court Judge James Blaney, which Caputo has since posted, according to Ocean County Jail records. Blaney also imposed Nicole’s Law (no contact with the victim) as a bail condition, Della Fave said.