Third alleged brothel raided at Liberty Mall
By Paul Koepp, Staff Writer
South Brunswick police raided The Sunny Day Spa on Aug. 16 in the Liberty Mall on Route 522 in Dayton following a two-week investigation into prostitution activities, the third time in less than a year such a business had been shut down in the same location.
Un Cha Choe, 55, of Michigan, and Song Rivera, 62, of Philadelphia, Pa., were charged with maintaining a sexually oriented business, promoting prostitution, and engaging in prostitution. They were both released on a summons, according to police spokesman Detective Jim Ryan.
The earlier businesses Pine Day Spa and the Bay Spa were both closed by police and the operators were arrested on prostitution-related charges. The two previous businesses were raided in September and April in similar undercover stings after complaints by nearby businesses.
Dong Suk Jeong, 46, of Clifton, and Hai Sook Choi, 41, of Fort Lee, who were arrested in September, pleaded guilty to engaging in prostitution.
Young Sook Kang, 48, of Fort Lee, was charged in April with promoting prostitution. Information on the dispensation of her case was not available as of press time.
Sunny Day Spa opened in the mall during the summer and was located at the top of a dimly lit staircase off a back corridor of the strip mall, with its name written in black marker on the wall.
Police Chief Raymond Hayducka said he is committed to getting rid of the illegitimate businesses.
"Each time they open, we spend time and money to shut them down. This is not about the cost, it is about the quality of life for the people in the area," he said.
Police seized $600 in cash, records, massage tables, and about $3,000 in property from the Sunny Day Spa. It was the third time police have seized all the contents from the businesses, police said.
The raid came less than a month after the Township Council adopted an ordinance to regulate massage businesses in an effort to clamp down on illegal activity.
The ordinance, adopted July 24, requires massage therapists in the township to be certified by the state, and they must pay an initial $150 permit fee and an annual renewal fee of $25. In addition, they must submit to inspections by the township Health Department twice a year.
However, the ordinance did not take effect until Aug. 13, 20 days after its adoption. The business had opened before the ordinance took effect.

