NJ military recruiter charged with sexual assault at Wawa

A 44-year-old Atlantic County man, who is also a member of the New Jersey Army National Guard, has been accused of sexually assaulting a teen girl.

Shawn C. Nguyen, of Egg Harbor Township, was arrested on Monday by police in the Township of Hamilton as part of their investigation into the 2022 incident.

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In June 2022, police responded to a report of a female in distress at 4262 Black Horse Pike, which is the address of a Wawa convenience store.

Investigators — involving local officers as well as the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office and State Police – said that Nguyen used his position as a recruiter with the NJ Army National Guard to sexually assault a 16-year-old.

As of Wednesday, Nguyen was "no longer a member of the New Jersey Army National Guard," according to a public information officer for the state Department of Military and Veteran Affairs in response to New Jersey 101.5, who added "We are unable to comment on ongoing legal proceedings."

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Nguyen has been charged with two counts of sexual assault, criminal sexual contact, two counts of endangering the welfare of a child, and official misconduct, police said.

As of 2018, Nguyen was a staff sergeant with the National Guard in the Recruiting and Retention Battalion.

He was being held at the Atlantic County Jail, pending his first court appearance.

"New Jersey National Guard has multiple regulations and codes of conduct that prohibit sexual assault and sexual harassment across all ranks," the state Department of Military and Veteran Affairs spokesperson also said in their response.