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Civilians issued commendations for contributions in Morris County investigation

MORRISTOWN, NJ (Morris County) – Morris County Prosecutor Robert J. Carroll on Tuesday issued official commendations to Dominic Cantaldi and Julian Ramirez for their assistance provided during a criminal investigation in 2015.

The investigation ultimately led to the arrest and conviction of Kyriakos Serghides of Rockaway Borough, for second-degree sexual assault, second-degree attempted kidnapping, second-degree luring, second-degree attempted sexual assault, and endangering the welfare of a child after a jury verdict was returned on February 10, 2022.

The commendations were signed by Prosecutor Carroll, First Assistant Prosecutor Maggie M. Calderwood, and Chief of Detectives Christoph K. Kimker. Both Cantaldi and Ramirez were commended for their bravery and common decency in the protection of others, based on the following circumstances:

On August 31, 2015, while employed as a Security Officer for the Rockaway Town Square Mall, Dominic Cantaldi was briefed on alleged incidents involving sexual assaults of juveniles that occurred several days prior, and shown video of the male suspect. On September 10, 2015, while working, Cantaldi heard a security radio transmission alerting all personnel to a suspicious person in the mall who fit the description of the suspect. While attempting to locate the suspect, Cantaldi observed him entering a vehicle, so he videoed him and recorded the license plate of the entered vehicle, which was later turned over to law enforcement. This information was invaluable in the identification and apprehension of Kyriakos Serghides, and subsequent prosecution.

On September 10, 2015, while employed as a Loss Prevention Officer at the Target Department Store in Rockaway, Julian Ramirez observed an adult male following a young child. The male appeared to be stalking the child as he paralleled him throughout aisles of the store, and briefly spoke to the child. Based on his observations, Ramirez suspected they did not know each other, so he continued to monitor the situation. Shortly after, Ramirez observed the child following the male to the store exit, so he rushed from the security office toward the store’s exit where he was able to stop the child, at which time the male quickly exited to the parking lot and left the property. It was confirmed that the child did not know the male.  Through the subsequent investigation, it was determined that the involved male, was in fact Kyriakos Serghides, who was later arrested and prosecuted for his crimes.

Prosecutor Carroll said, “It is with much gratitude that we recognize Mr. Cantaldi and Mr. Ramirez for the critical role that both played in this case, which contributed significantly to removing a deviant predator from our community. Had it not been for their keen observations and quick actions, it is quite possible that more children could have been victimized by Serghides.”

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[L-R: Dominic Cantaldi; Prosecutor Carroll]

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[L-R: Claudia Ramirez; David Ramirez; Julian Ramirez; Prosecutor Carroll]

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[L-R: Supervising Assistant Prosecutor Reema Kareer; Lieutenant Kristi Bednarski; Lieutenant Anne-Marie Truppo; Sergeant Spence Osaigbovo; Dominic Cantaldi; Assistant Prosecutor Jacqueline Marotta  Julian Ramirez; Prosecutor Carroll; Detective Supervisor Stephanie Merced]

Jay Edwards

Born and raised in Northwest NJ, Jay has a degree in Communications and has had a life-long interest in local radio and various styles of music. Jay has held numerous jobs over the years such as stunt car driver, bartender, voice-over artist, traffic reporter (award winning), NY Yankee maintenance crewmember and peanut farm worker. His hobbies include mountain climbing, snowmobiling, cooking, performing stand-up comedy and he is an avid squirrel watcher. Jay has been a guest on America’s Morning Headquarters,program on The Weather Channel, and was interviewed by Sam Champion.

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