Perth Amboy Man Charged with Sexual Assaulting 14-Year-old Girl in Springfield

A Middlesex County man was arrested this weekend after allegedly sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl outside of a Springfield store.

Union County Prosecutor Theodore J. Romankow said that 29-year-old Perth Amboy resident Michael Sebastian met the girl on Facebook and following her to a store in Springfield.

Sebastian reportedly told the victim he was 17-years-old in online conversations that investigators say included repeated sexually charged messages and requests for meeting with the girl. Romankow said she refused his advances.

In early September, the victim posted on Facebook that she was going to a store in Springfield. When she arrived, Sebastian pulled up to the curb in his car and pressured the victim to enter the vehicle. He parked a short distance away and assaulted the girl, according to the investigation.

The girl's parent's discovered the assault after reading online communications between Sebastian and the victim and notified authorities who immediately launched an investigation.

Sebastian was arrested on Friday at his office in Skillman, N.J. and is charged with second-degree sexual assault, second-degree luring and third degree endangering the welfare of a minor. He is being held in the Union County Jail on a $125,000 bail.

"This is another reminder to parents and guardians to monitor their children's online activities," Romankow said in a press release. "Predators have access like never before to homes and innocent children. Transparency is key when it comes to an online life and parents should have active knowledge of who their children are talking with on the other side of the connection."

This is an active investigation. Anyone with information is urged to contact Prosecutor's Office Detective Patricia Guzmano at (908) 527-4589 or  Detective Jim Morton of the Springfield Police Department at 973-912-2242.