Pleasantville Man Sentenced For Sexually Assaulting Eleven Children

Wednesday, December 3, 2025, 10:00 A.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,

MAYS LANDING, NJ.- On Monday, a 60-year-old Pleasantville, New Jersey, man and child predator will be spending nearly the next two decades in New Jersey State Prison after being sentenced for sexually assaulting eleven juveniles, including preteen kids.

     According to Atlantic County Prosecutor William E. Reynolds, on Monday, December 1, 2025, Jose Castro-Vega, 60, formerly of Pleasantville, New Jersey, appeared in Atlantic County Superior Court and was sentenced by Superior Court Judge Donna M. Taylor to 18 years in State Prison, after pleading guilty in July 2025, to first-degree Aggravated Sexual Assault; second-degree Sexual Assault; and fourth-degree Criminal Sexual Contact.

     In handing down the sentence, Judge Taylor ordered Castro-Vega to serve the entire 18 years, and if released, he will be subject to parole supervision for life and be required to register as a sex offender under Megan’s Law restraints. 

     The guilty plea and sentence stem from an investigation that began on October 27, 2023, when Detectives of the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit were contacted regarding an allegation that Castro-Vega was engaging in unlawful sexual conduct with a minor. During a swift-moving investigation, Detectives uncovered that Castro-Vega had engaged in illicit sexual conduct with at least eight children, dating back to 2021.

Investigation Uncovered That Castro-Vega Sexually Assaulted Eleven Children

     The following day, on October 28, 2023, Castro-Vega was taken into custody and formally charged with multiple child sexual offenses. He was processed on the charges and remanded to the Atlantic County Justice Facility and has remained detained since his arrest. Following news reports of Castro-Vega’s arrest, three additional juveniles came forward to report that they, too, had been sexually assaulted by Castro-Vega. Accordingly, in November 2023, Castro-Vega was additionally charged.

     During his plea allocution in July 2025, Castro-Vega admitted to sexually assaulting seven of the eleven children and engaging in inappropriate sexual conduct with four of the eleven children.