Dover man sentenced to 40 years in prison for kidnapping, sexual assault and witness tampering

DOVER – Morris County Assistant Prosecutor Maggie Calderwood, Chief of Criminal Investigation Robert McNally, Dover Police Chief Jonathan Delaney and Randolph Police Chief Will Harzula affirmed the verdict against Jesse Meneses, 38, of Dover, after he was found guilty at trial of kidnapping and sexual assault.

On June 28, 2024, the Honorable Stephen Taylor imposed a total sentence of 40 years in the New Jersey State Prison, of which approximately 32 years and 3 months are parole-eligible, subject to the No Early Release Act. Meneses was also required to register with Megan’s Law and will be under parole supervision for life.

On February 2, 2024, a jury found Meneses guilty of two counts of first-degree kidnapping, three counts of first-degree aggravated sexual assault, three counts of second-degree sexual assault, three counts of third-degree aggravated sexual assault, three counts of fourth-degree sexual assault, one count of third-degree terroristic threatening, one count of third-degree witness tampering, and one count of third-degree conspiracy to commit witness tampering. He was held at the Morris County Correctional Facility pending sentencing.

The charges were based on an incident that occurred on September 5, 2021, in Randolph, in which the defendant sexually assaulted his ex-girlfriend in his vehicle. He also transported and locked her from Randolph through Victory Gardens to Dover, where she was able to escape and report Meneses to police. Members of the Dover and Randolph police departments and the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Sex Crimes and Child Endangerment Unit investigated the incident after being informed of the victim’s account. Between April 2022 and October 2022, Meneses spoke with family members about contacting the victim to change her version of events or withdraw the criminal complaint.

Acting District Attorney Calderwood thanked Senior Assistant District Attorney Reema Sethi Kareer and Assistant District Attorney Samantha Polizzi, Detective Raquelin Perea, Senior Detective Lydia Negron and SART/SANE Coordinator Alexis Rachel, all of whom played important roles on the trial team.

Acting District Attorney Calderwood would like to thank and express appreciation to the agencies involved in the investigation that led to the successful prosecution, including the Dover and Randolph Police Departments, the Morris County Sheriff’s Office, and the Morris County District Attorney’s Office Sex Crimes and Child Endangerment Unit.