A Tuckerton man is in custody after being linked to a series of disturbing incidents involving young girls in Lakewood, authorities announced. Michael Marto, 28, faces charges of sexual assault, luring, lewdness, and endangering the welfare of children following a string of events that began last November.
Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer laid out the case Wednesday, pinning Marto to four separate incidents. It started November 24, 2024, when Lakewood police received a report of a man exposing himself to a 10-year-old girl riding a Segway on Locust Street. Officers got a description of the suspect, but the case grew colder—until more reports rolled in.
On December 5, a 15-year-old girl near Coleman Avenue and Milton Street told cops a black SUV followed her closely as she walked. The driver allegedly made a sexual remark before she ran home and he sped off. Then, on December 12, another 15-year-old reported a similar encounter on Warren Avenue—a black SUV tracked her, and the driver tried coaxing her inside with inappropriate comments. She took off running.
The latest incident came January 5, when a 17-year-old walking on Cushman Street said a man in a black SUV made sexual remarks to her twice before driving away. Investigators eventually connected the dots to Marto.
On February 20, detectives from Lakewood, Little Egg Harbor, and Tuckerton police departments arrested him at his home without incident. He’s now in Ocean County Jail, awaiting a detention hearing.
