SOMERVILLE, NJ (Somerset County) – A Somerset County man has entered a guilty plea to sexual assaults in Bridgewater Township and Franklin Township, according to Somerset County Prosecutor John P. McDonald.
Rogelio Calyeca Postrero of Raritan Borough entered a guilty plea on Sept. 8 to two counts of first-degree aggravated sexual assault.
The plea agreement is for a sentence of sixteen years in New Jersey State Prison subject to the No Early Release Act where Postrero must serve eighty-five percent of his sentence before he is eligible for parole. He will also be subject to the registration and reporting requirements of Megan’s Law and the conditions of Parole Supervision for Life.
He is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 8.
On Thursday, August 4, 2022, at around 9:06 a.m., Raritan Borough Police received a 9-1-1 call reporting a Hispanic male around the Nevius Street Bridge possibly masturbating in public.
Upon arrival, Raritan Borough Police Officers made contact with Rogelio Postrero, an individual in the area of the bridge who matched the description provided by the 9-1-1 caller. Raritan Borough Police contacted detectives from the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Unit who responded to investigate.
As a result of the investigation, Postrero was arrested and charged on August 4, 2022, with Lewdness, a disorderly person’s offense. During this investigation, it was also determined that he was utilizing fraudulent identification for employment purposes in Somerset County.
Postrero was also charged with two counts of third-degree knowingly exhibiting false documents. He was then lodged in the Somerset County Jail pending a detention hearing.
During the on-going investigation, it was determined that Postrero resembled both the New Jersey State Police composite sketch and the description provided by the victim of a sexual assault which occurred in Bridgewater Township on July 18, 2021, as well as the New Jersey State Police composite sketch and description provided by the victim of a sexual assault which occurred in Franklin Township on May 16, 2022.
On July 18, 2021, at around 9:07 p.m., Bridgewater Township Police received a 9-1-1 call reporting a sexual assault in Duke Island Park. Upon arrival, officers met with an adult female victim, a resident of a nearby town who reported being sexually assaulted by an unknown male while riding her bike in the park.
The victim reported that the suspect came up behind her, held a knife to her throat and asked for her money. After handing over her money, the victim reported that the male sexually assaulted her in the nearby bushes and then fled the area on his bicycle towards Raritan.
The victim described the suspect as a Hispanic male approximately 5 feet 4 inches to 5 feet 6 inches tall, between 151 and 175 pounds with a medium to stocky build and an olive to dark skin complexion. The male was reported to be in his 30’s with short black hair wearing a black hood and dark pants.
Then on May 16, 2022, at around 6:03 p.m., Franklin Township Police responded to a 9-1-1 call reporting a sexual assault on a park trail located near Blackwells Mills Road and Canal Road.
Upon arrival, officers met with an adult female victim, who reported being assaulted by an unknown male while she was running on the trail.
Responding Franklin Township Police along with Officers from Hillsborough Township Police Department, South Brunswick Police Department, and Montgomery Township Police Department proceeded to establish a perimeter in an attempt to locate the suspect.
The victim reported to authorities that the unknown male suspect who was on a bicycle got off his bicycle and tackled her to the ground when she was running on a trail. The female victim fought with the male suspect as he sexually assaulted her.
The victim was able to fight her attacker and escape from the assault, immediately notifying authorities by dialing 9-1-1. The victim described the suspect as a Hispanic male approximately 5 feet 6 inches to 5 feet 7 inches tall, heavier build, approximately mid 30’s, wearing black pants or shorts, a green hoodie, and a blue gator face covering.
The suspect is said to have fled the area on a bicycle. The victim was transported to an area hospital for treatment and released.
Once it was determined that Postrero resembled the New Jersey State Police composite sketches, further investigation was conducted which involved the issuance of a Superior Court search warrant for his residence.
As a result of the execution of the Superior Court search warrant, further evidence was located including a bicycle that matched the description provided during the investigation of the Franklin Township assault.
In addition, an analysis was completed by the New Jersey State Police Office of Forensic Sciences Central Regional Laboratory which confirmed that Postrero’s DNA matched the profile obtained from the sexual assault at Duke Island Park in Bridgewater Township and the sexual assault in Franklin Township.
On Friday, August 5, 2022, authorities charged Postrero with two counts of first-degree aggravated sexual assault. He was later indicted for additional charges.
