Grandma’s talking leads to arrest of South Jersey man in Capitol riot

A conversation between a suspect's mother and a tipster's granmother led to the arrest of a New Jersey man for his alleged involvement in the Capitol insurrection of Jan. 6.

Robert Petrosh Jr., of the Mays Landing section of Hamilton, is the 16th state resident charged in connection with the Trump supporters' insurrection that disrupted the congressional session approving the Electoral College vote.

Petrosh’s mother told a friend that he was among those who were inside the Capitol on Jan. 6. The friend in turn mentioned what she was told to her grandchild, who then tipped off the FBI, federal investigators said in a court filing.

The tipster explained he knew Petrosh for 15 years and had noticed that he had been "lying low" since Jan. 6, investigators said.

The friend said he had occasionally attended "social gatherings" with Petrosh and has seen him working in his yard.

After initially confusing Petrosh with his brother, who has a similar nickname, the friend was able to identify Petrosh in surveillance video from inside the Capitol showing him standing near a House door.

Petrosh was charged with knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority to do, disrupting the orderly conduct of government business, uttering loud, threatening or abusive language and demonstrating inside a Capitol building.

He was released after an initial hearing in Camden federal court Tuesday.

EDITOR'S NOTE: An earlier version of this story should have said that the suspect's mother spoke to the tipster's grandmother, according federal investigators. 

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNJ