FREEHOLD – A former Manalapan police officer admitted in court that he used his position and law enforcement resources in illegal conduct involving two teenage girls, authorities said.
Kevin Ruditsky, 49, a former patrolman with the Manalapan Township Police Department, pleaded guilty Wednesday before Monmouth County Superior Court Judge Jill G. O’Malley to two counts of computer criminal activity and one count of endangering the welfare of a child.
Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago announced the plea Thursday.
Authorities said the investigation began in August 2023 after the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office Professional Responsibility Unit received information that Ruditsky had been sending inappropriate messages to one of the victims.
Investigators determined the conduct began during Manalapan Township’s 2023 National Night Out event, an annual community outreach program involving police departments throughout the county.
Ruditsky was in uniform at the event when he allowed a 16-year-old girl to sit in his patrol vehicle, prosecutors said. In court, he admitted he knew the girl’s age and engaged in conduct that endangered her welfare, including sending sexually explicit messages and photos to her through social media.
Prosecutors said Ruditsky also admitted that several days later, he pulled the teen over on Route 9, unlawfully placed her in handcuffs and tried to kiss her.
On another occasion, while on duty, Ruditsky parked his marked patrol vehicle outside the teen’s home in a neighboring town at about 2:30 a.m., authorities said. Prosecutors said the conduct ended only after it was reported to law enforcement.
Ruditsky also admitted to improperly searching for the teen’s information in a law enforcement database. Prosecutors said he further admitted that, in December 2022, he used the database to look up personal information about a second underage girl for no legitimate law enforcement reason.
Sentencing is tentatively scheduled for Oct. 20. Prosecutors said they will seek a 10-year state prison sentence, Megan’s Law registration, parole supervision for life and no contact with either victim.
A judge also signed an order permanently barring Ruditsky from any public service position in New Jersey.
The case is being handled by Santiago and Assistant Prosecutor Melanie Falco, director of the Professional Responsibility Unit. Ruditsky is represented by Mitchell J. Ansell, an attorney with an office in Ocean Township.
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