Eatontown man who raped two girls over several years has been convicted, prosecutors say

Gerell Schmitt, 36, was sentenced to 48 years in prison on Tuesday, July 9, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond Santiago said in a news release on Monday, July 15. He is accused of multiple sexual assaults on two young girls that began just over a decade ago.

A relative of the two victims first reported the abuse to Eatontown police in September 2020. Both girls were under 13 years old at the time of the sexual assaults.

Investigators said Schmitt raped the girls in several locations in the county, including his home in Eatontown.

“We have no greater responsibility as an agency than to aggressively investigate and prosecute the despicable acts of individuals who take advantage of our vulnerable citizens for their own personal gratification,” Santiago said in a statement. “The outcome of this case is emblematic of that notion.”

Schmitt was arrested in October 2020 and was scheduled to go on trial in early 2024. A jury found him guilty of first-degree aggravated sexual assault, attempted second-degree aggravated sexual assault, two counts of second-degree sexual assault, and second- and third-degree endangering the welfare of a child.

Schmitt must serve more than 40 years of his sentence before he can be paroled under the No Early Release Act.

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