Man Indicted on Sex Assault Charges in Alleged Matawan, Aberdeen Burglaries

A Matawan resident was indicted Thursday on charges he sexually assaulted or attempted to sexually assault two women during separate burglaries in Matawan and Aberdeen, according to the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office.

Investigators say Derrick J. Federick, 33, broke into a second-floor apartment in Aberdeen at about 4:45 a.m. May 29, 2012, and attempted to assault a female resident, who was home alone at the time of the burglary.

A confrontation between the then-31-year-old female victim and the intruder resulted in the woman stabbing him with a steak knife, causing him to flee the apartment and jump from the second floor balcony, Aberdeen Chief of Police John Powers told Patch.  

Investigators also allege that Federick entered a Matawan residence on Aug. 18, 2012, and sexually assaulted a then-49-year-old female resident while she slept, Matawan Lt. Ben Smith told Patch.

Federick was arrested in September 2012 following a four-month joint investigation by detectives from the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, Aberdeen Police Department and Matawan Police Department, according to the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office. At the time of Federick's arrest, Smith told Patch that investigators linked him to the incidents through DNA evidence which was collected at each crime scene and tested at the New Jersey State Police Laboratory.

Federick was indicted by an Ocean County grand jury on five charges, including first-degree aggravated sexual assault, second-degree attempted aggravated sexual assault, two counts of second-degree burglary and third-degree criminal restraint.

The indictment took place in Ocean County due to "a conflict," according to Charles Webster, the public information officer for the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office. Although the case was transferred to Ocean County for trial purposes, the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office will still be leading the prosecution.

Federick remains in the Monmouth County Correctional Institution on $1 million bail as set by Monmouth County Superior Court Judge Thomas F. Scully.

If convicted of aggravated sexual assault, Federick may face up to 20 years in a state prison, according to the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office. If convicted of second-degree offenses, Federick may face up to 10 years in prison on each of the charges. The third-degree criminal restraint charge carries a potential penalty of five years in state prison.

An indictment does not indicate a conviction, only that a grand jury voted there was enough evidence to proceed with a trial.