New Jersey man sentenced to 18 years for sexually assaulting multiple children

A man from Pleasantville, New Jersey, will spend 18 years behind bars for sexually assaulting multiple children, prosecutors said

On Monday, December 1, 2025, Jose Castro-Vega, 60, was sentenced on charges of first-degree aggravated sexual assault, second-degree sexual assault, and fourth-degree criminal sexual contact following a guilty plea in July of 2025, according to the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office.

Back in October of 2023, prosecutors said the office’s Special Victims Unit was contacted regarding an allegation that Castro-Vega was engaging in sexual conduct with a child. The investigation found Castro-Vega had engaged in sexual conduct with at least eight children going back as far as 2021. He was arrested and charged the following day.

Prosecutors said, following a press release, three more victims of Castro-Vega came forward, bringing the known total to 11 children. He was charged with those additional crimes in November 2023.

Further investigation into Castro-Vega revealed that in 1992, he was convicted of a sexual assault of a minor and was ultimately placed on New Jersey’s Megan’s Law list, which required him to register as a sex offender in whichever jurisdiction he was living in, prosecutors said. In 1998, Castro-Vega was released from prison and moved out of state several times, and had not registered as a sex offender. In 2023, he was also charged with third-degree failure to register as a sex offender.

According to prosecutors, during his plea in July of 2025, Castro-Vega acknowledged sexually assaulting seven of the eleven victims and having had inappropriate sexual contact with four victims.

Following his 18-year sentence, if released, prosecutors said Castro-Vega will be “subject to Megan’s Law registration and be placed on parole supervision for life.”

Prosecutors said Donna M. Taylor, J.S.C., sentenced Castro-Vega to an aggregate term of 18 years in New Jersey State Prison. He must serve every day of the 18 years and is not eligible for parole.

Resources for victims of sexual assault are available through the National Sexual Violence Resources Center and the National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 800-656-4673.