By: Richard L. Smith
Authorities in Somerset County have arrested a Woodbridge man in connection with the death of his 4-year-old biological child, following an extensive investigation into the circumstances surrounding the case. 
According to information released by the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office, First Assistant Prosecutor Annemarie L. Mueller, Chief of County Detectives Francisco Roman Jr., and Franklin Township Public Safety Director Quovella M. Maeweather, Sean Tate, 36, was taken into custody on February 18, 2025, and charged with first-degree murder and second-degree endangering the welfare of a child.
The investigation began on February 19, 2024, when officers from the Franklin Township Police Department responded to an emergency call at a local hotel regarding an unresponsive child.
Upon arrival, Tate informed authorities that his son had fallen off a toilet two days prior, sustaining an injury, and had also hit his head on an air conditioning unit at an earlier time.
He claimed to have iced the visible injury before going to bed that night, only to find the child unresponsive the following morning, at which point he called 911.
The child was transported to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 5:24 p.m.
Medical personnel noted that the child appeared severely malnourished and had multiple injuries. Detectives from the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit, Special Victims Unit, and Crime Scene Investigation Unit, along with Franklin Township police, launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the child’s death.
A subsequent autopsy performed by the New Jersey Northern Regional Medical Examiner’s Office ultimately ruled the death a homicide on February 4, 2025.
Following this determination, Tate was arrested in Woodbridge without incident and taken to the Somerset County Jail, where he awaits a detention hearing.
Authorities have emphasized that the investigation remains ongoing.
The Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office expressed gratitude to the Middlesex County Special Operations Response Team (SORT), the Woodbridge Police Department, and the FBI’s Newark Field Office – Branchburg RA for their assistance in the case.