Rockaway, NJ restaurant owner raped teen worker, cops say

A GoFundMe page last year raised about $2,000 for Rob Grow when his Rockaway Township restaurant closed down. Now the owner of Potbelly's Cafe is charged with sexually assaulting a teenage employee on multiple occasions in 2018 and 2019.

Grow, 61, of Rockaway Borough, assaulted the 17-year-old girl on multiple occasions between Dec. 1, 2018 and March 8, 2018, according to Acting Morris County Prosecutor Robert Carroll.

Grow is charged with second-degree sexual assault, third-degree endangering the welfare of a child and two counts of third-degree endangering the welfare of a child.

He was released after his arrest on Monday and ordered not to have any contact with the girl and/or unsupervised contact with minors other than his own children.

Carroll asked anyone with information about the incident to call his office at 973-285-6200 or Rockaway Borough Police at 973-627-1314.

Grow on his Facebook page said he was locked out of the restaurant when he missed a rent payment in November. When asked how long it would be closed, he responded, "ever and ever my friend."

A GoFundMe page created to help Grow after the restaurant closed raised just over $1,900. The page stopped taking donations in December.

Organizer Marlene Deyo said that Grow was active with the Business Owners Association, organized a clean up of the Rockaway River twice a year, helped seniors during the pandemic and is a member of the recreation committee

A dinner scene for the ABC show "Emergence" was filmed at the restaurant in November 2019.

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