New Jersey officer accused of misconduct, harassment of teens – NBC New York

A suspended Manalapan Township, New Jersey, police officer has been charged with engaging in a pattern of illegal behavior involving two teenagers, the Monmouth County prosecutor announced Thursday.

Kevin Ruditsky, 47, is charged with numerous charges, including engaging in a pattern of official misconduct, computer criminal activity, endangering the welfare of a child, hindering apprehension, impersonating a law enforcement officer ( while suspended from duty) and stalking.

An investigation began in August 2023 after information was obtained that Ruditsky was sending inappropriate messages and photographs to one of the victims, who was 16 years old at the time, according to officials.

The investigation revealed that the inappropriate conduct began during Manalapan Township’s 2023 National Night Out event, an annual community outreach campaign involving numerous police departments across the country.

In this event, officials say Ruditsky was in full uniform when he allowed the 16-year-old victim to sit in his patrol car. After that event, later that night and in the following days, he allegedly began sending the victim sexually explicit messages and photos through social media, despite the victim informing him of her age, officials stated. in a press release.

Investigators also said Ruditsky stopped the victim while driving on Route 9, illegally handcuffed her and attempted to kiss her while the dash camera and body camera were off.

In another incident, while Ruditsky was on duty, the prosecutor’s office claims he parked his marked patrol car outside the 16-year-old victim’s home in the middle of the night after she refused to give him her address.

Authorities also said Ruditsky sent inappropriate messages to another victim in December 2022, who was 17 years old at the time. Additionally, he conducted inadequate searches for both victims in a police database, which was outside the scope of any legitimate law enforcement purposes.

Anyone with information regarding this or related matters is asked to contact MCPO Detective Gregory Hilton II at 800-533-7443.

NBC10 reached out to the attorney representing Ruditsky but has not yet heard back.

Register in our Rip fact sheet to receive the most pressing news in your inbox.