Joseph Hertgen (26) was allegedly murdered by his brother Matthew (31). This case has some quite graphic details so trigger warning.
As some background into the victim, Joseph was born in Danbury, CT to David and Debra Hertgen on January 11, 1998. He went to high school at Toms River North and graduated in 2016. He went on to earn a Bachelor of Business Administration degree with a concentration in Finance and Accounting from the University of Michigan’s Stephen M. Ross School of Business. He worked as an Analyst on the Portfolio Management team for Locust Point Capital in Red Bank, NJ since 2023. He played on many sports teams, loved traveling with his friends, and always enjoyed a good game of ping pong or chess. He was such a kind person, had a great love of life and his smile brightened every room.
In his obituary, Matthew is not mentioned.
Joseph was loved by his mother, father, brother David…
Some media reports have sensationalised the case even more by discussing how the family seem to be affluent and ‘All American,
“It’s incredibly tragic. Matthew Hertgen came from what appeared to be a perfect, all-American family. No one could have predicted that something like this would happen. To have it end in such violence is shocking, and the loss of his brother Joseph is devastating,” a high-ranking police source said.
Matt and Joe — as well as their eldest brother, David Jr. — were standout athletes who grew up in a $1.1 million home in the Shore town before the family uprooted and moved to tony Princeton.
The murder occurred at the family home in Michelle Mews apartments — a prime location in the college town, where units can run $2 million.
The brothers were raised by their mother, Debra Hertgen, and father, David, who has spent decades working at WiLine Networks — a high-tech firm based in Princeton with an estimated annual revenue of $25 million to $100 million — and currently serves as its president and chief financial officer, according to his LinkedIn.
Social media for both men is still up online.
The probable cause affidavit for this case is available online.
According to the document, on Saturday February 22, 2025, at 11.16pm, Matthew called 911. He advised the dispatcher that there was a fire and a dead body inside his residence. He told authorities that the deceased was his brother Joseph. He said that Joseph had been dead for 30-40 minutes.
The dispatchers asked Matthew how Joseph had been injured and Matthew said ‘I’m not gonna go into any more details right now.’
Dispatchers asked Matthew if any weapons were involved and he said ‘Like I said, I’m not going into any more details.’
When Princeton Police officers arrived at the home, they were met by Matthew, who reiterated that there was a deceased person inside.
Officers found Joseph deceased on the dining room floor with a large pool of blood around his head and his torso. He also appeared to have sustained severe blunt force trauma to the back of his head. Joseph had a large laceration to his chest and abdomen which exposed his chest cavity. Joseph also sustained lacerations to his right eye and his right eyeball was not visible.
Some media reports state that Matthew ate the eyeball after he removed it.
Police found a cup of blood, along with blood smeared utensils and a bloody plate on the dining room table next to Joseph’s body.
There was also a bloody golf club lying on the floor.
A pet cat was found deceased. The cat had blunt force injuries and had been burned.
Police said that Matthew had abrasions and scratches on both of his hands. He told officers that he ‘went into a fit of madness, maybe like forty minutes ago.’
Police interviewed David. David said that he had been with Matrhew on the evening of February 22. He said that for the past five years, Matthew had suffered from extreme mental illness. He said that on February 22, Matthew was extremely distressed, despondent and was experiencing ‘terrifying visions.’ David went to try to help Matthew. He picked him up at 4.30pm. They went to the grocery store and then to David’s house. They stayed there until 10pm. David then drove Matthew back to his apartment. He walked him to the door and had a brief conversation with Joseph.
At 10.10pm, David sent a text message to Joseph, saying that Matthew was struggling with ‘his visions’. David told Joseph to contact him immediately if he needed any help. Joseph wrote back ‘will do’ and thanked David for the help. At 10.28pm, David texted Matthew and asked him to go on a hike the following day. He wrote to Matthew ‘hang in there.’ Matthew did not respond to those messages.
Matthew has been charged with first-degree murder, various weapons offenses and animal cruelty. He is due to appear in court on March 24, 2025.
Discuss this case in our Facebook group here.
SOURCE LIST –
https://www.silvertonmemorial.com/obituaries/joseph-hertgen/#!/TributeWall
https://people.com/man-received-warning-text-before-being-killed-by-brother-allegedly-11692811