Matthew Hertgen, a 31-year-old man, has been charged with murdering his brother Joseph, 26, in their luxury Princeton apartment. Allegations include beating, slashing, and mutilating Joseph, with police reporting the bizarre act of Matthew eating part of his brother’s remains, including an eyeball, and setting their cat on fire. The brutal crime scene was discovered after a 911 call. Matthew had previously posted disturbing poems referencing violence. Both brothers had notable athletic backgrounds and came from a respected family. Matthew faces first-degree murder, weapons charges, and animal cruelty, with a life sentence possible if convicted.
A 31-year-old man has been arrested and charged with the murder of his brother at their upscale Princeton apartment. Matthew Hertgen, a former college soccer player, is accused of brutally beating and slashing his 26-year-old brother, Joseph Hertgen, with reports alleging that he even removed his brother’s eyeball and ingested it, according to police sources. Additionally, he is said to have set the family’s pet cat on fire.
The disturbing incident occurred late Saturday night at the Michelle Mews apartment complex located off Witherspoon Street, as reported by The NY Post.
When officers arrived in response to a 911 call made by Matthew Hertgen, they found the mutilated body of Joseph Hertgen, alongside a bloody knife, fork, and plate—suggesting that parts of his brother’s remains had been consumed. The charred remnants of the cat were also discovered at the scene.
Authorities took him into custody on-site, believing that he had used both a knife and a golf club in the fatal attack on his brother.
Prior to the incident, Matthew Hertgen had shared a haunting poem on Facebook, containing unsettling imagery related to knives, suffocation, and blood seeping from the eyes—elements that eerily reflect the details of the crime scene.
Excerpts from the poem include:
“I can see the knives sharpening…
Blood oozes out of his eyes…
He convulses, and he doesn’t stop…
He’s lost… He’s asleep… He’s dead.”
“It was gruesome. Way overboard,” remarked one police source. Another senior officer expressed shock at the brutality of the crime, particularly given the nature of the Princeton community.
“It’s incredibly tragic,” a police source shared with The NY Post. “Matthew Hertgen came from what seemed to be a perfect, all-American family. No one could have anticipated that something like this could occur.”
Joseph Hertgen was a former soccer player for the University of Michigan and served as an analyst at asset management firm Locust Point Capital. His brother, Matthew Hertgen, who played soccer at Wesleyan University, had a DUI conviction in 2017 but had no other criminal record prior to this alleged murder.
The Hertgen family, known for their esteemed reputation within the community, previously resided in a $1.1 million home at the Jersey Shore before relocating to Princeton. Their father, David Hertgen Sr., holds a senior executive position at WiLine Networks, a technology company with annual revenues ranging from $25 million to $100 million, according to a report by People magazine.
Matthew Hertgen faces charges including first-degree murder, weapon offenses, and animal cruelty. If found guilty, he could be sentenced to life in prison. The official cause of Joseph Hertgen’s death is still awaiting autopsy results.