Story by Ethan
On January 21st, 2026, the arrest of Craig Cardella, age 60, was announced by Burlington County Prosecutor LaChia L. Bradshaw. Craig Cardella was charged with 17 counts of first-degree Kidnapping, 18 counts of third-degree Aggravated Criminal Sexual Contact, 18 counts of third-degree Invasion of Privacy, 18 counts of third-degree Endangering Another Person, and fourth-degree Stalking. The arrest and charges against Craig Cardella were a result of an investigation handled by Detective Ken Allen of the Mansfield Township Police Department.
According to the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office, an extensive investigation began in December 2024 after one victim reported to the police that allegedly he awoke from his sleep last night to find the defendant assaulting him. Allegedly Craig Cardella was in bed with the victim while holding a mask over his mouth and nose and touching the victim in a sexually inappropriate manner. This led to a court-authorized search warrant being carried out at the defendant’s home. A safe was discovered and upon opening it investigators uncovered two bottles of chloroform, prescription sleep medication, medical masks, a camcorder, and multiple video storage devices. AllegedlyCraig Cardella would use the supposed chloroform with the medical masks in order to subdue his victims before sexually assaulting them while they’re rendered helpless.
TheBurlington County Prosecutor’s Office stated that the charges against [Defendant] are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
