Middlesex Child Predator Sentenced For Sexually Assaulting Two Preteens

Saturday, January 10, 2026, 8:00 A.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,

CRANFORD, NJ.- Last month, a 36-year-old Middlesex, New Jersey, man was sentenced to New Jersey State Prison after pleading guilty last summer to sexually assaulting two preteen girls back in 2011 in a Union County, New Jersey park.

     According to Union County Prosecutor William A. Daniel, on July 30, 2025, Samuel Perl, 36, of Middlesex, New Jersey, appeared in Union County Superior Court and pleaded guilty before Superior Court Judge Candido Rodriguez, Jr., to one count of first-degree Aggravated Sexual Assault; and one count of second-degree Sexual Assault by Sexual Contact. Both counts involved two children under the age of thirteen.

     On Friday, December 19, 2025, Perl was sentenced by Judge Rodriguez to eight years in State Prison, subject to the No Early Release Act, which will require Perl to serve 85% of his custodial term before becoming eligible for parole. Perl will also be subject to Megan’s Law and Nicole’s Law, as well as parole supervision for life upon release from prison.

     The guilty plea and sentence stem from an investigation that began on January 15, 2025, when the Union County Police Department received a report regarding multiple sexual assaults involving two preteen girls that had occurred in Nomehagen Park in Cranford, New Jersey, back in 2011.

     During an ensuing investigation, Detectives identified Perl, who was in his 20s at the time, portrayed himself as a minor in order to meet underage children online, according to Union County Assistant Prosecutor Izabella Wozniak, who prosecuted the case. Following the investigation, Perl was taken into custody on June 3, 2025, and has remained detained at the Essex County Correctional Facility until his transfer to the custody of the New Jersey Department of Corrections.

     “We commend the exceptional work of Detective Tara Moran of the Union County Police Department and Union County Prosecutor’s Office Assistant Prosecutor Izabella Wozniak for their unwavering commitment to protect the public and prosecute such heinous crimes,” said Union County Prosecutor William Daniel. “This sentence will not erase the trauma inflicted on the victims, but it sends a clear message that the Union County Prosecutor’s Office, along with all law enforcement agencies in Union County, are committed to pursuing the prosecution of individuals who prey on vulnerable children.”