The casket of a Princeton man whose brother is accused of murdering and mutilating him arrived at a New Jersey church Saturday morning.
Mourners filed into St. Luke Roman Catholic Church in Toms River for the funeral of Joseph Hertgen, 27, whose brother, Matthew, 31, allegedly beat and stabbed him to death with a golf club and knife on Feb. 22.
He then tore out his brother’s eyeball and ate it, and set fire to the family cat at the family’s ritzy Princeton apartment, blocks from the university, police sources said.
Police described the horrific scene as “gruesome” and “way overboard.”
If convicted of the heinous crimes, Hertgen faces 30 years to life in prison.
The horrific case has shocked those who knew the well-heeled family, who lived in a $1.1 million home in Toms River before moving to the Princeton apartment.
Joseph was one of three boys born to David and Debra Hertgen.
He worked as an analyst for Locust Point Capital in Red Bank since 2023, according to an obituary.
“He was such a kind person, had a great love of life and his smile brightened every room,” it said.
