Man Pleads Guilty In Highland Park Sex Assault

HIGHLAND PARK, NJ — The man charged with the rape and beating of a young mother in Highland Park in February of this year — which terrified the town and shocked Central New Jersey — pleaded guilty on Monday to the crime. He was sentenced to 23 years in jail.

The Middlesex County Prosecutor announced that Brandon Cox, 23, of the Somerset section of Franklin Township, admitted to the crime Monday. The woman was out walking with her baby in a stroller on Harper Avenue when she was attacked on Feb. 19 of this year. Cox sexually assaulted and severely beat her, police said.

Police determined that the mother, 36, was approached by Cox on the sidewalk; he displayed a handgun and forced her into the basement of the Harper House apartment building. He sexually assaulted her there and repeatedly punched her. The beating was "severe," police said. He then fled.

A resident of Harper Avenue called police after the victim ran to the neighbor’s home following the attack. She had blood pouring down her face, witnesses told the media. The baby was unharmed. The attack happened in daylight, just after 5 p.m. on an unseasonably warm Sunday before the President's Day holiday.

Cox pleaded guilty to kidnapping and aggravated sexual assault Monday. Under a plea agreement reached with Middlesex County Assistant Prosecutor Allysa Gambarella, he will be sentenced to 23 years in a New Jersey state prison. He will be required to serve 85 percent of the term before he can be released on parole.

As Patch reported, Cox has been charged with sex assault before: In 2014, a 14-year-old girl said he sexually assaulted her over an extended period of time and occurred while Cox was living in South Brunswick. Cox was 20 at the time. The victim, accompanied by her mother, told Franklin police that between March 2013 and April 2014, Cox threatened her into sexual situations on four separate occasions. All the alleged sex assaults happened at her Franklin Township home.

As part of a deal he made with the Somerset County prosecutor's office, Cox pleaded guilty to charges of child abuse and neglect in that case. He was sentenced to 18 months in jail; however, he had already served much of that time while being held on a $50,000 cash-only bail awaiting trial. He was released from the Somerset County jail on Aug. 2, 2016, just a few days after his sentencing. He served close to 15 months of his 18-month sentence.

The crime stunned quiet, well-off Highland Park, which has a lively main street and is very pedestrian-friendly. People often walk to the borough's coffee shops, stroll to restaurants or across the Raritan River bridge to the Rutgers New Brunswick campus and the NJ Transit station. Many mothers can be seen walking with children. At the time, residents told Patch they were almost in disbelief the crime occurred and that they were very scared to walk around town.

"This was too close for comfort," said Rabbi Steven Miodownik, who oversees Congregation Ahavas Achim on Johnson Street, located just a few blocks away from the attack. "I've been here for 15 years and you never hear of anything like this happening here."

Cox also must register as a Megan’s Law sex offender and will undergo parole supervision for life.

The sentence is expected to be imposed by Superior Court Judge Alberto Rivas at a hearing on October 16.

Cox was charged during an intensive investigation by Detective Sean McGraw of the Highland Park Police Department and Detective Allie Bitterman of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office.

Ongoing Patch coverage:

Highland Park Sex Assault Sunday; Attacker At Large

Highland Park On Edge After Sex Assault in Town

Man Accused of Highland Park Rape Charged With Sex Assault In Past