Woman Held Hostage, Sexually Assaulted Over 12 Hours By Ex-Boyfriend From Burlington County: Prosecutor

EDGEWATER PARK, NJ — A man from Burlington County was arrested after allegedly holding his ex-girlfriend hostage at knifepoint for 12 hours and sexually assaulting her, the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office said.

Watler Robinson, 40 of Edgewater Park, is charged with first-degree sexual assault, first-degree kidnapping, second-degree strangulation, third-degree terroristic threats, two counts of third-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, and two counts of fourth-degree unlawful possession of a weapon.

On March 3 at around 4:30 p.m., the Franklin Township Police Department received a 9-1-1 call from a woman who lives in town and reported a sexual assault.

Members of the Department and the Somerset County Prosecutor's Special Victim's Unit responded to the home.

The woman told authorities that earlier that day, she was held captive by Robinson and sexually assaulted while he threatened to harm her with a knife.

After the two stopped dating in 2024, she and Robinson would stay in touch and check in on each other, officials said.

On March 2, the woman and Robinson were talking when he said he was going to come over her house, to which she then told him not to.

He then arrived at her house at 3 a.m. on March 3 and made a sexual advance towards her, which she denied.

Robinson then grabbed a knife from her house and threatened to kill her, the woman told authorities.

After sexually assaulting her multiple times, he left the home at around 3 p.m., officials said.

Her attempts to alert neighbors to what was going on during the attack were unsuccessful.

On Wednesday, a search warrant was carried out by the Willingboro Township SWAT Team at Robinson's home in Edgewater Park, and he was arrested without conflict.

Authorities found a knife in the home that matched the description of the one used during the alleged assault.

Robinson was processed and taken to the Somerset County Jail to wait for a court hearing.

Anyone with information related to this case is asked to contact the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office Special Victim's Unit at 908-231-7100 or the Franklin Township Police Department at 732-873-5533.

The STOPit app can also be used to provide anonymous reports with photos and videos. It is available for free using the Google Play Store or Apple App Store with access code: SOMERSETNJ.

The Somerset County Prosecutor's Office says all STOPit reports are kept confidential.

The Willingboro Township Police Department, Edgewater Park Township Police Department, and Burlington County Prosecutor's Office also aided in the case.

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