Burlington County man charged with sexual assault, kidnapping

🚨 A NJ man is accused of holding his ex-girlfriend hostage inside her Somerset County home while sexually assaulting her repeatedly.

⚖️ The 40-year-old man faces first-degree sexual assault and kidnapping charges, along with strangulation, terroristic threats and weapons offenses.

👮 Police arrested the man after a SWAT search of his Burlington County home, where investigators recovered a knife.

FRANKLIN (Somerset) — A Burlington County man has been accused of repeatedly raping his ex-girlfriend at knifepoint while holding her hostage in her township home for hours.

Walter Robinson, of Edgewater Park, is facing eight charges that include first-degree sexual assault, first-degree kidnapping and second-degree strangulation.

On March 3 at 4:20 p.m., Franklin Township Police responded to a 911 call from a local woman reporting a sexual assault.

The victim said that she dated the 40-year-old Robinson until they broke up in 2024, after which they kept in touch.

Victim says ex showed up at 3 a.m. despite being told not to come

She said that she was talking with Robinson the night of March 2, when he said that he was coming over, which she told him not to do.

Robinson arrived at the woman’s home at 3 a.m. and made a sexual advance, which she rejected.

She said that Robinson then grabbed a knife from inside her home and threatened her life, before sexually assaulting her multiple times. He threatened her life for 12 hours.

The victim said she tried to alert her neighbors over the course of being held but was unsuccessful. Robinson finally left the home at 3 p.m.

Police investigation leads to SWAT arrest in Burlington County

On March 4, the Willingboro Township SWAT team searched Robinson’s home, where he was arrested.

Investigators recovered a knife from the residence that matched a description of the one taken from Franklin and used as a threat during the assault.

Charges include kidnapping, sexual assault, strangulation and weapons offenses

In addition to first-degree sexual assault, first-degree kidnapping and second-degree strangulation, Robinson is also charged with third-degree terroristic threats and four counts of illegal weapon possession.

Robinson was being held in Somerset County Jail, pending a court hearing.

Anyone with information relating to the case was urged to contact the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victim’s Unit at 908-231-7100 or the Franklin Township Police Department at 732-873-5533 or via the STOPit app.

Tips can also be shared with Somerset County Communication at 1-888-577-TIPS (8477) or through the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office website.