Newark, NJ, man gets 106-years for sexually abusing stepdaughters

A Newark man will likely spend the rest of his life behind bars after years of sexually abusing his teen stepdaughters.

Superior Court Judge Verna G. Leath sentenced Thomas Crandell to 106 years in state prison.

Crandell, 53, of Newark must serve 85 percent of his sentence before being eligible for parole under New Jersey's No Early Release Act. The earliest he could apply for parole would be the year 2113.

According to prosecutors, Crandell began sexually assaulting one of his stepdaughters when she was 14 and "continued sexually assaulting her" until she was 17. He sexually assaulted the first victim's younger sister twice in 2018, when she was 14 years old, according to officials.

A jury convicted Crandell on 26 counts.

"The victims and their family have been looking forward to this day for a very long time," said Nicole Buermann, assistant prosecutor in the Special Victims Unit of the Essex County Prosecutor's Office, "We want to thank the courageous victims for coming forward"

Buermann credits the Irvington Police Department and the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit for their diligent investigation of the case.

“The sentence imposed by the court sends a clear message that sexual abuse of children will not be tolerated,” added Buermann, who tried the case along with Assistant Prosecutor Dana Kutzleb. “We are satisfied that justice was served and that the judge’s sentence will provide the victims with a sense of peace and closure.”

Eric Scott is the senior political director and anchor for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at eric.scott@townsquaremedia.com

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