of prosecutor
Former employee charged
with falsifying documents
Investigation was part
of prosecutor’s look
into Manalapan Chase
By mark rosman
Staff Writer
MANALAPAN — A former electrical subcode employee has been charged with failing to conduct electrical inspections he claimed to have made.
Monmouth County Prosecutor John Kaye said Friday that Joseph Cerankow-ski of Englishtown has been charged with falsifying public documents and with official misconduct. He was arrested on Thursday. Manalapan Municipal Court Judge James Newman set bail at $25,000 and Cerankowski was released.
Kaye said an investigation revealed that Cerankowski worked for a short time as Manalapan’s electrical subcode official. He said Cerankowski is an electrician by trade who had no training or experience in inspection.
"His job was to do the second final inspection of new residential construction," Kaye said. "He was never given credentials and had to show his driver’s license [as identification]. Some people refused to let him into their homes.
"On Feb. 2, 2002, he was scheduled to do three inspections at Manalapan Chase [a housing development off Craig Road]. He did not go [to the homes], but he prepared documents saying he had done the inspections and that everything was OK," the prosecutor said.
The prosecutor said the judge initially wanted to set Cerankowski’s bail at $100,000, but that his office asked for the lower amount.
"We anticipate needing his help" to correct the situation, Kaye said, adding, "This is a serious matter."
On Friday, Bob Casey, Manalapan’s interim township administrator, said Cerankowski worked for Manalapan for a total of 40 hours in October and Novem-ber 2001. Casey said Cerankowski’s résumé indicates that he is a licensed electrician and a licensed electrical inspector in the state of New Jersey.
On Monday, Richard Hogan, Manal-apan’s construction code official, clarified the apparent disagreement in the dates of Cerankowski’s employment with the township. In addition to the fall 2001 dates provided by Casey, Hogan said Cerankowski worked three days in January 2002 and one day in February 2002.
"The finance department did not have those vouchers [for the 2002 dates]," he said, adding that after Cerankowski was terminated for the alleged falsification of the inspection reports. "That pay period never went to finance."
Hogan said at the time Cerankowski was employed by Manalapan, he was a licensed electrical inspector. He said he did not know the current status of Cerankow-ski’s inspector’s license.
Peter Aseltine, a spokesman in the state Department of Law and Public Safety, said the license number Cerankowski provided on his résumé was his electrical contractor’s license.
Kaye said detectives from his office have notified the homeowners involved in the situation. The second final inspection is conducted after two prior inspections of the electrical work have been completed, he explained.
Hogan said once the construction department learned of the apparent lack of inspections, visits were made to the homes in question to ensure that all of the electrical systems were in order. He said they are, and that there is no threat to public safety.
Several months ago, the prosecutor’s office seized documents relating to the construction of the Manalapan Chase development from the construction office. Kaye said Cerankowski’s arrest is a result of investigations conducted after those documents were seized.