Princeton 911 call about fire, dead body at luxury complex led to discovery of slain star athlete brother

Police discovered that a man allegedly killed his brother in Princeton, New Jersey, after he called 911 to report a fire and a dead body at the luxury apartment complex where the victim’s body was found, prosecutors said.

Matthew Hertgen, 31, is charged with first-degree murder in connection with the death of his 26-year-old brother, Joseph Hertgen. He is also charged with third- and fourth-degree weapons charges related to possession of a golf club and knife, as well as animal cruelty related to the death of a family cat.

A police source who spoke anonymously to The New York Post said that Hertgen set the cat on fire.

“It’s incredibly tragic. Matthew Hertgen came from what appeared to be a perfect, all-American family. No one could have predicted that something like this would happen. To have it end in such violence is shocking, and the loss of his brother Joseph is devastating,” the police source told the Post.

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Authorities have yet to describe any kind of motive related to Hertgen’s murder charges.

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Princeton police initially responded to a 911 call on Feb. 22 around 11:16 p.m. reporting a fire and a dead body at the Michelle Mews Apartments complex.

Police found Matthew Hertgen at the scene and determined he was the 911 caller. Authorities also located the victim’s body, which “exhibited signs of blunt force trauma and lacerations,” the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office said in a press release.

Joseph Hertgen was pronounced dead at the scene, and his autopsy results are pending. Local and state officials are investigating the 26-year-old’s death as a homicide.

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Both brothers played college soccer — Matthew at Wesleyan University in Connecticut and Joseph at the University of Michigan.

An investigation into Joseph’s death is ongoing. Mercer County authorities are asking anyone with information about the alleged crime to contact the Princeton PD.