Old Bridge, NJ - Town Commends Police in Arrest of Suspect that Assault Orthodox Jewish Woman

Old Bridge, NJ - There is no way to repay the police officers who put their lives on the line every day to protect the community.
But a stack of citations and a standing ovation is a good place to start, township officials said.

Police Chief Thomas Collow and Mayor James Phillips praised the efforts of 10 township officers and detectives who helped arrest a suspect in the assault of an Orthodox Jewish woman last month.
"These detectives and officers got involved in good old-fashioned police work," Collow said during a Council meeting. "They absolutely deserve the recognition they're getting because they are the finest investigative branch."

In July, township police charged Brandon J. Fritz, 21, of Lakewood, with attempted aggravated assault, second-degree robbery, second-degree burglary and third-degree theft after he allegedly broke in to an Old Bridge home and tried to assault a 48-year-old woman, who returned home while he was there. The suspect was reportedly attempting to steal from the home, which he had visited a day earlier as part of a sprinkler installation crew.
Since the woman reportedly recognized the man from the work crew, police were able to track him down and arrest him as the suspect.

Police thought Fritz matched a sketch of the man wanted in a Lakewood assault. In that case, a 20-year-old Orthodox Jewish woman was abducted May 7 as she was leaving the Trim Gym Fitness Center behind a ShopRite supermarket at Route 9 at Kennedy Boulevard. The assailant took the victim back to the fitness center the following morning, according to police.
The Old Bridge Police Department worked with Lakewood authorities, and Fritz was later charged with aggravated assault and kidnapping, relating to the Lakewood rape. His bail was set at $1 million.