Keith Hahn (Photo: Ocean County Jail)
A Toms River man who is a registered sex offender is charged with luring a 14-year-old girl into his vehicle and promising her a ride to an animal shelter before sexually assaulting her and kicking her out of the vehicle at a Walmart store.
Keith Hahn, 46, of Toms River, was charged with aggravated sexual assault, sexual assault, aggravated criminal sexual contact, kidnapping, luring, and endangering the welfare of a child, all in connection with an incident that occurred in Toms River on Sept. 29, 2024, prosecutors said in a statement.
An investigation into the shocking crime began when Manchester Township policet were contacted by the 14-year-old girl reporting that she had been sexually assaulted by an unknown male. An investigation by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit and Toms River police showed that the victim had been walking on Route 70 in Manchester Township when she became lost. A male operating a white Jeep Grand Cherokee stopped and talked to the victim. The victim asked the driver to take her to the animal shelter in Toms River, but instead, the man drove the victim to an area in Toms River and sexually assaulted her.
The male then drove the victim to the Walmart in Toms River; the victim exited the vehicle and ran home, prosecutors said.
An ensuing investigation conducted by Toms River police, the prosecutor’s office and the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office revealed that Hahn – a registered Megan’s Law offender – was the individual responsible for sexually assaulting the victim, the statement said.
On Tuesday, detectives from the numerous law enforcement agencies executed court-authorized search warrants on Hahn’s residence and motor vehicle. Hahn was taken into custody at the residence without incident and transported to the Ocean County Jail, where he is presently lodged pending a detention hearing.
According to the New Jersey State Police sex offender database, Hahn, who lives on Parkside Avenue in Toms River, was convicted in 1995 of sexual assault with penetration. Hahn “isolated and offended against female victims,” the database stated. It also confirmed his ownership of the Jeep. He is considered a “Tier II” offender, which indicates a “moderate” risk of re-offending.
