Boonton Township police recently arrested a local man accused of having sex with an underage girl.

According to officials, the 21-year-old suspect impersonated a United States Marine and told the 14-year-old victim that he was going to be deploying overseas in a few days. He then reportedly convinced the girl to have sex with him.

Police learned of the alleged sex offense after the girl contacted local law enforcement. The victim told Boonton investigators that she engaged in sexual intercourse with the suspect at his Boonton Township home.

The suspect allegedly claimed to be a United States Marine, even going so far as to wear dog tags around his neck and getting a tattoo of the U.S. Marine Corps logo.

After investigators spoke with the victim, Boonton police and the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Sex Crimes/Child Endangerment Unit looked into the suspect’s background and determined that he had never enlisted as a Marine.

Sometime later, the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office and the Boonton Township Police Department announced that the suspect had been placed under arrest.

The suspect was charged with second degree sexual assault, third degree child endangerment, and fourth degree unlawful wearing of a uniform.

If the suspect is ultimately convicted of on the sexual assault charges in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:14-2, he could face a sentence of 5-10 years in New Jersey State Prison.

After being arrested and processed, the suspect was taken to the Morris County Correctional Facility in Morristown, NJ. He was being held at the jail on a $75,000 bail amount.

A judge also issued a restraining order against the suspect. As a result, the suspect will not be allowed to have any contact with the alleged victim in the case. The suspect is also prohibited from having contact with any children under the age of 18 while the charges are pending.

To learn more about this case, see the NJ.com article entitled “Phony Marine Had Sex with 14-Year-Old Girl, Told Her He Was Shipping Out, Cops Say.”