An Atlantic County jury convicted 34 year old Marcelino Cruz of Mullica Township of second-degree sexual assault, endangering the welfare of a child, and possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
The investigation into the assault began when the minor child’s mother discovered disturbing
text messages on the child’s phone. Police confirmed that the then 33-year-old Cruz was
communicating with the 13-year-old child. The investigation revealed Cruz engaged in a sexual
act with the minor child during the first week of August 2022. Police also recovered an image of
the material from Cruz’s phone.