The East Brunswick Township Council voted unanimously to revoke a spa’s license after an undercover police investigation found that an employee was offering clients more than a massage.
According to a statement sent from the East Brunswick Police Department, the Investigative Division conducted an undercover operation at the New Era Spa located on 11 Main St. in response to multiple complaints from residents.
Township Attorney Jean Cipriani said at the Oct. 26 council meeting that during the past year there had been multiple complaints to police from residents in the area
“There have been in the last year five occasions in which the police have either been called or discovered that there have been violations of various sorts at the health spa,” said Cipriani.
“On multiple occasions there were arrests for prostitution,” she said.
On Oct. 6, undercover detectives entered the spa, and according to an Oct. 19 police report, the detectives were offered “sexual acts” by Annie Copo, of Jackson Heights, N.Y., a female employee at the spa, for additional money.
Copo was charged with prostitution by township police.
Nabil Nasr, an employee of the spa from South River, was arrested on location for possession of heroin, marijuana under 50 grams and possession of drug paraphernalia, according to the statement from the East Brunswick Police Department.
Both suspects were processed at police headquarters and released pending a court date.
Police have been to the location, which is currently vacant, multiple times to deliver the notice of revocation, according to Cipriani.
The owners of the spa have not responded to the notice of revocation, and no one representing the spa attended the public hearing.
The council voted unanimously to revoke the license, with Councilwoman Camille Clark absent.