Man Arrested in Connection with Dover Death Investigation
Published on July 27, 2023
Morris County Prosecutor Robert J. Carroll, Chief of Detectives Robert McNally, Sheriff James Gannon, and Dover Police Department Chief Jonathan Delaney announce the arrest of Wilfredo Cabrera-Masariegos, 34, of Dover, in connection with a death investigation in Dover.
At approximately 1:56 a.m. on Wednesday, July 26, 2023, Dover Police officers responded to the railroad tracks near West Clinton Street in Dover on a report of a deceased person. On arrival, they located a deceased male on the railroad tracks.
An examination by the Morris County Medical Examiner’s Office revealed blunt force injury to the victim’s head, and the manner of death has been ruled homicide. The victim has been identified as Rene Rivera Hernandez, 47, a homeless individual who frequented the Dover area.
Further investigation has revealed that Cabrera-Masariegos and the victim were on the railroad tracks under a highway bridge in the late evening hours of July 25. It is alleged Cabrera-Masariegos struck the victim in the head with a rock and fled the scene.
As a result of the investigation, Cabrera-Masariegos was charged with one count of second degree Manslaughter, 2C:11-4B(1); one count of third degree Possession of a Weapon, 2C:39-4D; and one count of fourth degree Unlawful Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose, 2C:39-5D. Cabrera-Masariegos was remanded to the Morris County Correctional Facility, pending a detention hearing.
Numerous law enforcement agencies have participated in the investigation, including members of the Dover Police Department, the Morris County Sheriff’s Office, and the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office.
Anyone with information about this incident is encouraged to call the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit at 973-285-6200 or the Dover Police Department at 973-366-2200.
A criminal complaint is merely an accusation. Despite this accusation, the defendant is presumed innocent until he is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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