Jury Convicts Newark Man Who Sexually Assaulted His Stepdaughters

NEWARK, NJ — An Essex County jury convicted a New Jersey man of sexually assaulting his two teenage stepdaughters, prosecutors announced Wednesday.

After a trial, the jury convicted Thomas Crandell, 53, of Newark, of all 26 counts brought against him in the indictment, including five counts of aggravated sexual assault, according to the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office.

Prosecutors released the following statement about the accusations against Crandell:

“Crandell, the victims’ stepfather, began sexually assaulting one of the victims when she was 14-years-old. He continued sexually assaulting her until she was 17-years-old, when the crimes were reported … Crandell sexually assaulted the first victim’s younger sister twice in the summer of 2018; at the time she was 14-years-old.”

Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 30, 2023. Crandell faces a potential life sentence in state prison, and if released, is subject to parole supervision for life. He must also register as a sex offender under Megan’s Law, prosecutors said.

Nicole Buermann, assistant prosecutor in the special victims unit, and assistant prosecutor Dana Kutzleb thanked the family for coming forward about the assaults.

“The victims and their family have been looking forward to this day for a very long time,” Buermann said.

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