Newark Man Sentenced After Sex Assaults On Two Teens

NEWARK, NJ — A Newark man was sentenced to 106 years in state prison this week after he was found guilty of sexually assaulting two teenage girls, prosecutors announced Thursday.

Under the No Early Release Act, Thomas Crandell, 53, of Newark, must serve 85 percent of his sentence before being eligible for parole. If released he would be subject to parole supervision for life. Crandell must also register as a sex offender under Megan’s Law, according to the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office.

Prosecutors released the following statement about the assaults:

“Crandell 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, when she was 14-years-old.”

In October 2022, a jury found Crandell guilty of all 26 counts brought against him in the indictment, including five counts of first degree aggravated sexual assault, 14 counts of second degree sexual assault, four counts of second degree endangering the welfare of a child, two counts of third degree aggravated criminal sexual contact, and one count of fourth degree sexual contact.

Nicole Buermann, an assistant prosecutor in the Special Victims Unit of the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, credited the Irvington Police Department and the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit for leading the investigation that led to Crandell’s conviction.

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