NJ man, 66, gets 25 years prison for sexually abusing young girl

🔶 NJ man gets prison for child sex abuse
🔶 Girl was between 9 and 11
🔶Convicted predator is in victim’s family

A 66-year-old Warren County man has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for sexually abusing a young girl, multiple times over a several year span.

Joseph A. Gares, of Phillipsburg, was convicted by a jury last summer of eight offenses, including aggravated sexual assault.

The victim was between the ages of 9 and 11, when the repeated sexual acts happened between 2012 and 2016.

Court documents show that the victim was a relative.

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Gares was sentenced in Superior Court in Warren County on Wednesday, Acting Warren County Prosecutor Jessica Cardone said.

He must serve the full 25 years before being eligible for parole, under the Jessica Lunsford Act.

On July 25, 2024, a Warren County jury found Gares guilty of first-degree aggravated sexual assault, second-degree criminal attempt aggravated sexual assault, four counts of second-degree sexual assault, fourth-degree lewdness and second-degree endangering the welfare of a child.

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Gares was found not guilty of one additional count of first-degree aggravated sexual assault.

The investigation involved the Warren County Prosecutor's Office Special Victims Unit, the Phillipsburg Police Department and the Pennsylvania State Police.

Once his term is complete, Gares will be subject to parole supervision for life and must register with the state as a sex offender, under Megan’s Law.

He was also ordered to pay mandatory fines and penalties and to have no contact with the victim.

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