South Jersey man is accused of drugging, molesting men renting room at his home
Craig M. Cardella, 60, of Mansfield Township, pleaded not guilty on Tuesday at his arraignment in Superior Court in Mount Holly.
A 60-year-old man has been accused through an indictment of drugging and sexually molesting two men who at different times rented a room from him at his home, Burlington County Prosecutor LaChia L. Bradshaw said Wednesday.
Craig M. Cardella, of Mansfield Township, pleaded not guilty on Tuesday at his arraignment in Superior Court in Mount Holly. He was charged by indictment in December with multiple counts of kidnapping, aggravated criminal sexual contact, and related offenses.
Robert M. Perry, Cardella’s lawyer, declined to comment Wednesday evening.
The charges involved two victims during separate time periods, Bradshaw said.
In late 2024, a man renting a room from Cardella contacted Mansfield Township police and said he awakened at night to find Cardella in bed with him, holding a mask over his mouth and nose and touching him sexually, Bradshaw said.
A search warrant was obtained for Cardella’s home and a safe was discovered in a closet that contained two bottles of chloroform, along with prescription sleep medication, medical masks, a camcorder and digital storage devices, Bradshaw said.
Prosecutors allege that Cardella used the chloroform to prevent his victims from waking while they were being molested.
Anyone who believes they were victimized by Cardella can contact Detective Ken Allen at allen@mansfieldpd.org.