11-02-2022 2:00pm

Two NJ Men Recognized for Contributions Towards Arrest of Serial Predator in Rockaway

Two NJ men are issued commendations for their bravery and contributions that led to the arrest of a child predator in Rockaway Borough.

On Tuesday, November 1, 2022, Morris County Prosecutor Robert J. Carroll issued official commendations to Dominic Cantaldi and Julian Ramirez for their assistance provided during a criminal investigation in 2015.

The investigation ultimately led to the arrest and conviction of Kyriakos Serghides of Rockaway Borough for Second Degree Sexual Assault, Second Degree Attempted Kidnapping, Second Degree Luring, Second Degree Attempted Sexual Assault and Endangering the Welfare of a Child after a jury verdict was returned on February 10, 2022.

The commendations were signed by Prosecutor Carroll, First Assistant Prosecutor Maggie M. Calderwood, and Chief of Detectives Christoph K. Kimker.

Both Mr. Cantaldi and Mr. Ramirez were commended for their bravery and common decency in the protection of others, based on the following circumstances:

On August 31, 2015, while employed as a Security Officer for the Rockaway Town Square Mall, Dominic Cantaldi was briefed on alleged incidents involving sexual assaults of juveniles that occurred several days prior and shown video of the male suspect.

On September 10, 2015, while working, Mr. Cantaldi heard a security radio transmission alerting all personnel to a suspicious person in the mall who fit the description of the suspect. While attempting to locate the suspect, Mr. Cantaldi observed him entering a vehicle, so he videoed him and recorded the license plate of the entered vehicle, which was later turned over to law enforcement.

This information was invaluable in the identification and apprehension of Kyriakos Serghides, and subsequent prosecution.

On September 10, 2015, while employed as a Loss Prevention Officer at the Target Department Store in Rockaway, Julian Ramirez observed an adult male following a young child. The male appeared to be stalking the child as he paralleled him throughout the aisles of the store and briefly spoke to the child.

Based on his observations, Mr. Ramirez suspected they did not know each other, so he continued to monitor the situation.

Shortly after, Mr. Ramirez observed the child following the male to the store exit, so he rushed from the security office toward the store’s exit where he was able to stop the child, at which time the male quickly exited the parking lot and left the property. It was confirmed that the child did not know the male.

Through the subsequent investigation, it was determined that the involved male, was in fact Kyriakos Serghides, who was later arrested and prosecuted for his crimes.

“It is with much gratitude that we recognize Mr. Cantaldi and Mr. Ramirez for the critical role that both played in this case, which contributed significantly to removing a deviant predator from our community. Had it not been for their keen observations and quick actions, it is quite possible that more children could have been victimized by Serghides,” Prosecutor Carroll stated.

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