MANALAPAN, NJ – Manalapan Township Patrolman Kevin Ruditsky, 46, was arrested and charged with multiple offenses, including second-degree Endangering the Welfare of a Child and second-degree Official Misconduct, according to Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago.
The arrest followed an investigation by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office (MCPO) Professional Responsibility Unit. The investigation began after receiving information that Ruditsky had been sending inappropriate messages and photos to a 16-year-old girl. The conduct originated during Manalapan Township’s National Night Out event.
Ruditsky, who was in full uniform, allowed the victim to sit in his patrol car and later sent her sexually explicit messages and photos via social media. Despite the victim informing him of her age, Ruditsky continued the inappropriate behavior. In another instance, he pulled her over, handcuffed her, and attempted to kiss her, deactivating both dash and body cameras.
The investigation also found that Ruditsky conducted unauthorized searches of the victim in law enforcement databases and parked his patrol vehicle outside the victim’s home without her consent.
Prosecutor Santiago described Ruditsky’s actions as “unconscionable,” especially considering they began at a community event designed to foster trust between the police and the public.
“That a sworn member of law enforcement would begin to so egregiously violate the public’s trust while in uniform at an event specifically intended to strengthen trust between law enforcement and the public is, in a word, unconscionable,” Prosecutor Santiago said. “Swift action in addressing this conduct, culminating in the charges being announced today, was an absolute imperative.”
Ruditsky was arrested without incident and is held in the Monmouth County Correctional Institution pending his first court appearance.
“The men and women of the Manalapan Township Police Department are and should be held to the highest moral and ethical standards, and it troubles me that the actions of one individual can stain the reputation of all of us. We are deeply saddened and disturbed that this victim had her trust betrayed by a man wearing one of our uniforms. I want to emphasize that this Department will continue to provide our community with the most professional service with integrity and compassion, as we have always done,” Township Police Chief Edward Niesz added. “We want our community to know that once the Manalapan Township Police Department became aware of the investigation into the conduct of Kevin Ruditsky, he was suspended, and upon being charged today, that suspension is without pay. The Department has fully cooperated and assisted the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office in this investigation from the onset and continues to support the Prosecutor’s Office through the arrest made yesterday. We will remain transparent and accountable to our community.”
Township Police Chief Edward Niesz stated that Ruditsky has been suspended without pay and that the department is fully cooperating with the MCPO investigation.