What to KnowOne soccer enjoying brother from New Jersey is accused of killing the opposite inside an residence close to Princeton College on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025.Matthew Hertgen, 31, is charged with first-degree homicide, weapons and animal cruelty fees within the killings of his brother, 26-year-old Joseph Hertgen, and a cat, the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Workplace mentioned.Hertgen was in possession of a knife and a golf membership on the time of his arrest, investigators mentioned. Each Hertgen brothers performed collegiate soccer after rising up within the Toms River space, in line with participant profiles.
A late-night 911 name reporting a fireplace and a physique led to the arrest of a person within the killing of his brother — a former collegiate soccer participant — and a cat inside a Princeton, New Jersey, residence.
Matthew Hertgen, 31, is charged with first-degree homicide, weapons and animal cruelty fees within the Feb. 22, 2025, killings of his brother, 26-year-old Joseph Hertgen, and a cat, the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Workplace mentioned.
The Michelle Mews flats are situated simply off Princeton College’s campus.
“When officers responded to the scene, they found Mathew Hertgen, who was determined to be the 9-1-1 caller, in the residence along with the body of the victim which exhibited various injuries including signs of blunt force trauma and lacerations,” prosecutors mentioned.
Hertgen was in possession of a knife and a golf membership on the time, investigators mentioned.
Joseph Hertgen was pronounced useless on the scene, as was a cat, prosecutors mentioned. Hertgen’s actual trigger and method of dying have been pending an post-mortem.
Join our Breaking e-newsletter to get essentially the most pressing information tales in your inbox.
It’s alleged “that Matthew purposely or knowingly engaged in conduct that led to the death of his younger brother and caused the death of a cat,” in line with a felony grievance, prosecutors mentioned.
The older Hertgen brother was arrested and booked with homicide fees Monday, prosecutors mentioned. He remained jailed forward of a Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025, detention listening to. It wasn’t clear if he had an lawyer who may touch upon his behalf.
Hertgen faces as much as life behind bars if discovered responsible.
The complete felony grievance wasn’t launched by the county prosecutor’s workplace because of the nature of the investigation, Mercer County Deputy First Assistant Prosecutor Michael Borgos instructed NBC10.
Joseph (Joe) Hertgen performed soccer on the College of Michigan from 2016 to 2019, in line with his UM participant bio web page. He had attended Toms River North Excessive Faculty, his participant web page mentioned. He was additionally listed as an analyst at Pink Financial institution-based Locust Level Capital.
Matthew Hertgen additionally performed collegiate soccer at Wesleyan College in Connecticut after starring at soccer in highschool, in line with Michigan-based NBC affiliate WILX. Matthew (Matt) Hertgen was listed as a senior on the Wesleyan males’s soccer roster in 2014.
The investigation into the deaths continued and investigators requested anybody with data to name Murder Process Power Sgt. Will Jett at (609) 331-5010 or Detective Karl Johnston at (609) 439-5248.
In the event you or somebody is experiencing home violence, contact the Nationwide Home Violence Hotline by calling 1-800-799-SAFE (7233), visiting www.thehotline.org or texting LOVEIS to 22522.
