NJ man who kidnapped, raped ex-girlfriend gets 40 years

DOVER — A convicted rapist who trapped his ex-girlfriend will spend at least the next three decades in prison.

Jesse Meneses, 38, of Dover was sentenced to 40 years in state prison on Friday, according to Morris County Acting Prosecutor Maggie Calderwood. He will not be eligible for parole until 2056 and must also register as a sex offender under Megan's Law.

A Morris County jury convicted Meneses in February of 18 counts including multiple counts of kidnapping, aggravated sexual assault, and witness tampering.

The charges stem from a horrific kidnapping on Sept. 5, 2021 and Meneses's attempts to manipulate his victim in the months that followed.

Kidnapped ex-girlfriend escapes in Dover

According to Calderwood, Meneses sexually assaulted his ex-girlfriend in his vehicle in Randolph.

Meneses then trapped her inside the vehicle and drove her from Randolph Victory Gardens and then to his hometown of Dover.

Once in Dover, somehow the woman was able to get away. After escaping, she called the police.

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Dover kidnapper convicted of witness tampering

Prosecutors said that Meneses, who has prior convictions for harassment, also tried for months to pressure his ex-girlfriend to stop pursuing the case against him.

From April 2022 to October 2022, Meneses repeatedly contacted family members in hopes that they would get the victim to change her story.