Guilty verdict: Man raped 67-year-old woman in her Rahway home

RAHWAY — A local man has been found guilty by a Union County jury of breaking into a stranger’s home last summer and violently sexually assaulting her, acting Union County Prosecutor Lyndsay Ruotolo announced Monday.

After a month-long trial in Union County Superior Court, 25-year-old Jermaine Ramirez was convicted on charges of first-degree aggravated sexual assault, second-degree sexual assault, second-degree burglary and third-degree aggravated criminal sexual contact.

Shortly before 5 a.m. on June 29, 2018, Rahway Police responded to a home on the 100 block of East Hazelwood Avenue to find a then 67-year-old victim suffering from multiple injuries, according to Union County prosecutors.

The woman told police that she woke up on her couch to an unknown male grabbing her, pinning her down and sexually assaulting her.

Ramirez was identified as a suspect and arrested in Rahway five days later, police said.

“This was a horrific crime perpetrated by a defendant who exhibited a brutal, chilling indifference to a vulnerable victim,” Ruotolo said, who also added “This verdict not only serves the interests of justice, but also ensures the safety of the community at large.”

Ramirez faces between 10 and 30 years in state prison when sentenced, which has been slated for January 10, 2020.