2006 Media Releases:

CAMDEN COUNTY PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE
VINCENT P. SARUBBI, CAMDEN COUNTY PROSECUTOR
MEDIA   INFORMATION

February 10, 2006

Camden County Prosecutor Vincent P. Sarubbi announced today that he will resign effective March 17, 2006, to accept a position with Archer & Greiner, P.C., a prominent South Jersey law firm.

“It has been an honor and privilege to serve the residents of Camden County as their Prosecutor. It has been especially rewarding to work with the highly dedicated professionals at the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office,” stated Sarubbi, 45. “Although I am leaving, I feel satisfied and confident that the men and women of the Prosecutor’s Office will continue to serve Camden County residents with the excellence and distinction that have become the office’s hallmark.

“Due to a combination of personal and professional circumstances, I will be leaving the public sector to accept a unique opportunity – an opportunity that cannot wait. I thank the hundreds of people whom I have had the honor of working with on some of our communities’ toughest challenges. Most of all, I thank my family, especially my wife and children, for their unwavering support, which allowed me to focus on this very demanding job and lead an administration that accomplished many good things for many good people.”

Sarubbi’s tenure was marked from the outset by numerous high-profile cases the office handled, many drawing national attention. They included:

• The investigation of a fire in Gloucester City that killed three children and three firefighters, which occurred just four days before Sarubbi was sworn in on July 8, 2002;

• The conviction of Cherry Hill Rabbi Fred Neulander for the murder of his wife Carol;

• The conviction of a Camden man for the rape and murder of city teenager Shaline Seguinot;

• The convictions of two men for the kidnapping and murder of Christine Eberle of Washington Township, who was abducted from the Ferry Avenue Speed Line Station parking lot in Camden;

• The investigation and subsequent exoneration of Gloucester City teenager Jasmine Karo for killing her father after a long history of abuse at his hands;

• The successful prosecution of three teenagers who took to the streets of Oaklyn with a large cache of weapons and ammunition;

• The successful prosecution of Vanessa Jackson for starving her four adopted sons in Collingswood;

• And the investigation and resulting policy recommendations after three young Camden boys were found dead in a car trunk two days after they went missing from a backyard.

Sarubbi also had the responsibility, under a state Attorney General’s directive, to oversee the City of Camden Police Department, making him the only prosecutor in New Jersey tasked with running a major urban police department. That effort was highlighted by a 16 percent decline in crime in Camden in 2005.

“I believe our success last year was driven by law enforcement initiatives that resulted in a record number of arrests in 2005,” Sarubbi said. “However, Camden’s crime issues remain monumental. Law enforcement must play a major role in keeping the city safe, but arrests alone cannot achieve a lasting solution. Long-term success will require significant progress on root issues such as poverty, education and job opportunities.”

Sarubbi also implemented numerous crime prevention and education programs, including bullying and school violence, school drug testing, domestic violence and landlord and property management training. He also helped start Camden’s first-ever youth soccer in Camden, the highly successful Camden Community Connections youth service agency and an anti-graffiti program that teamed young Camden residents with a professional artist to create a 25-foot high mural at 9th and Atlantic streets in Camden.

Besides the more visible accomplishments of his tenure, Sarubbi also moved the Prosecutor’s Office and police departments throughout the county into the digital age by instituting technological advances in crime investigation and prosecution. Under Sarubbi, the office computerized internal case files and the sharing of records between police departments and the Prosecutor’s Office. In addition, Sarubbi’s administration expanded the use of technology to share intelligence information among South Jersey law enforcement agencies.

Sarubbi submitted a letter of resignation today to Gov. John Corzine and Attorney General Zulima Farber. It is expected that Farber will name an acting prosecutor sometime before March 17, with Corzine to nominate a permanent successor sometime thereafter.