Police Charge Perth Amboy Man with Second Sexual Assault

Police have charged the Perth Amboy man arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl in Springfield with a second assault against a minor. 

Earlier this week, 29-year-old Michael Sebastian was outside of a store in Springfield. Now police believe they have found a second victim of the same man.

The Union County prosecutor’s office said that Michael Sebastian, 29, contacted a second union county girl and tried to sexually assault her.

As in the first alleged incident, Sebastian is said to have found the girl on Facebook, where he claimed to be 17 years old. Officials say that after communicating with the girl online, he convinced her to meet in person.

He allegedly picked up the girl at her house, drove to a motel on Rte. 22 where he rented a room. At the motel, he reportedly supplied the teen with alcohol and sexually assaulted her. The girl escaped and ran across the highway to a restaurant where she called a family member to pick her up.

Police said the assault was discovered after Prosecutor's Office Detective Patricia Gusmano and Detective Jim Morton of the Springfield Police Department were continuing their investigation into the assault of another 14-year-old girl in the parking lot of a Springfield store on Sept. 8.

"This commitment to the original victim and the safety of others led to these additional charges," First Assistant Prosecutor Albert Cernadas, Jr said. "The detectives have been working nonstop to identify potential additional victims and we urge anyone with relative information to contact our office or the Springfield police department."

Sebastian was charged with second-degree luring, third degree endangering the welfare of a minor and fourth degree criminal sexual contact. The initial arrest and charges from the Sept. 8 assault came after Sebastian contacted the teen on Facebook. In that incident, Sebastian also allegedly told the victim he was 17 years old in online communications. Investigators say he repeatedly sent the girl sexually charged messages and requested a meeting. She had refused his advances, said Cernadas.

Sebastian was arrested on Sept. 23 at his office in Skillman, N.J. where he worked as a lab technician.

Following the additional charges this morning Sebastian's bail was raised to $175,000. He remains in custody at the Union County Jail.

In the wake of the arrest, officials urged parents to monitor their children’s online communications.

"It is not an invasion of privacy for parents to monitor their children's online activity, it is a matter of keeping them safe from predators," Cernadas, Jr said. "Situations like these can be avoided if parents are upfront about the dangers of online predators.  Set and enforce rules for responsible internet use and make sure your kids know that very real dangers like this exist."

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