Matawan Man Charged with Lewdness in Quick Check Parking Lot
Police arrested a Matawan man this past weekend for committing a lewd act in the parking lot at Quick Check. Police received two complaints from women who said they saw a man sitting in the convenience store parking lot fondling himself. In both cases the women, aged 44 and 23, allegedly saw the defendant on a Saturday night in front of Quick Check, located on Route 36 and Union Avenue committing lewd acts in his vehicle. The two incidents allededly occurred on September 12 and October 3. The women gave law enforcement the defendant's license plate number and later identified the defendant as the man they saw in the vehicle. The defendant is charged with two counts of lewdness. He is being held at the Monmouth County Jail in Freehold, New Jersey in lieu of $30,000 bail. For additional information, see the Asbury Park Press article entitled "Matawan man charged committing lewd acts outside Quick Check".
A criminal charge for lewdness in New Jersey is governed by N.J.S.A. 2C:14-4 which provides:
§ 2C:14-4. Lewdness
a. A person commits a disorderly persons offense if he does any flagrantly lewd and offensive act which he knows or reasonably expects is likely to be observed by other nonconsenting persons who would be affronted or alarmed.
b. A person commits a crime of the fourth degree if:
(1) He exposes his intimate parts for the purpose of arousing or gratifying the sexual desire of the actor or of any other person under circumstances where the actor knows or reasonably expects he is likely to be observed by a child who is less than 13 years of age where the actor is at least four years older than the child.
(2) He exposes his intimate parts for the purpose of arousing or gratifying the sexual desire of the actor or of any other person under circumstances where the actor knows or reasonably expects he is likely to be observed by a person who because of mental disease or defect is unable to understand the sexual nature of the actor's conduct.
c. As used in this section:
"lewd acts" shall include the exposing of the genitals for the purpose of arousing or gratifying the sexual desire of the actor or of any other person.
