EHT Medical Doctor Indicted for Sexual Assault and Criminal Sexual Contact

MAYS LANDING – An Egg Harbor Township medical doctor was indicted today for a sexual assault and multiple counts of criminal sexual contact involving 18 victims in 2013 and 2014, Atlantic County Prosecutor Jim McClain announced.

Today, September 30, 2015, an Atlantic County Grand Jury indicted Syed A. Jaffery, of the 100 block of Trotter Road in Egg Harbor Township on 19 criminal counts:

1. 1 count of Sexual Assault using force or coercion, a crime of the 2nd degree, and 
2. 18 counts of Criminal Sexual Contact—a crime of the 4th degree. 

The State alleges that the victims were patients of Jaffery’s medical practice, and that Jaffery committed sexual contact while they were under his care, using force or coercion for the purpose of sexually arousing or sexually gratifying himself and/or to degrade or humiliate the victims, and that he committed an act of sexual penetration upon one victim, using force or coercion—a crime of sexual assault. 

Investigation by the Egg Harbor Township Police Criminal Investigations Bureau and the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office led to Jaffery’s arrest on December 23, 2014, charged with 3 counts of criminal sexual contact. Bail was set at $25,000 cash or bond, and Jaffery subsequently posted bail and was released. 

Continued investigation led to the identification of additional victims, the issuance of additional charges, and Jaffery’s arrest on those charges on February 19, 2015, with bail set by Atlantic County Superior Court Judge Mark Sandson of $100,000 cash. Jaffery posted bail and was released, pending court. 

Assistant Prosecutor Danielle Buckley represented the State in the case. A crime of the 2nd degree carries a potential penalty of 5-10 years in New Jersey State prison; a 4th degree crime carries a potential penalty of 18 months imprisonment. 

The victim’s names are not being released.

These indictments are merely accusations and not proof of guilt. In all criminal cases, an indicted defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Anyone with information involving serious crimes is asked to call the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office at 609-909-7800 or go to the Prosecutor’s Office Web site at http://www.acpo.org/tips.html and provide information by filling out the form anonymously on the Submit a Tip page. People can also call Crime Stoppers at 609-652-1234 or 1-800-658-8477 (TIPS) or visit the Crime Stoppers Website at http://www.crimestoppersatlantic.com/. Crime Stoppers offers cash rewards for information leading to the arrest and indictment of those who commit crimes in Atlantic County.