Crime & Safety

Hunterdon County Cop Stalked Ex-Girlfriend, Put Tracking Device On Her Car: Prosecutor

Joseph D. Pietraszewski, 29, of Readington Township, who serves as a Town of Clinton police officer, was arrested.

CLINTON, NJ — A Clinton Police Officer, who placed a tracking device on his ex-girlfriend's car, was arrested for stalking and violating a domestic violence restraining order, said Hunterdon County Prosecutor Renée M. Robeson.

An investigation into Joseph D. Pietraszewski, 29, of Readington Township, began after he made concerning comments to a co-worker about an ex-girlfriend, said Robeson.

As a result, he was placed on administrative leave on March 27.

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The Hunterdon County Prosecutor’s Office investigators later met with the ex-girlfriend, who reported that Pietraszewski showed up at places where she was on multiple occasions.

The victim then applied for and was granted a domestic violence temporary restraining order (TRO).

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Detectives then found Pietraszewski had placed a tracking device on the victim's vehicle, said Robeson.

On April 10, Hunterdon County SWAT went to Pietraszewski's home and took him into custody without incident.

Pietraszewski was charged with third-degree stalking, fourth-degree stalking, and fourth-degree contempt of a TRO.

The investigation remains active and ongoing under the direction of the Hunterdon County Prosecutor’s Office.

This arrest follows a similar incident in August 2025 when Jorge Santos, a sergeant first class of the New Jersey State Police, fatally shot his ex-girlfriend and her new firefighter boyfriend at her home in the Pittstown section of Franklin Township in Hunterdon County.

Santos was later found dead alone and inside a white 2008 Mercedes SUV in Johnson Park in Piscataway, Middlesex County.

Following the double murder, the Hunterdon County Prosecutor's Office(HCPO) took over the Franklin Township Police Department in August 2025 after serious concerns were raised about the police department's operations and effectiveness.

In October 2025, an investigation found that Franklin Township Police Sgt. Kevin Bollaro was accused of going to an ATM instead of responding to a 911 call for a double murder.

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