A New Jersey man accused of savagely killing his brother and ripping out his eyeball attempted to kill himself inside his jail cell, according to the New York Post.
Matthew Hertgen, 31, tried to hang himself at Mercer County Correction Center just hours after he made a virtual court appearance in relation to murder charges he is facing for the slaying of his 26-year-old brother, per the report, citing a law enforcement source.
Hertgen is accused of killing his brother Joseph at the family’s luxury Princeton apartment last Saturday, allegedly with a knife and golf club. Police believe Matthew may have ripped out his brother’s eye and tried to eat it, a law enforcement source told the New York Post.
Matthew Hertgen, right, is accused of murdering his younger brother Joseph, left, and a cat in their Princeton, New Jersey, apartment. (University of Michigan/ Mercer County prosecutor/ Google Maps)
He is also charged with animal cruelty after the family’s cat was set on fire.
Fox News Digital reached out to Mercer County Correction Center for more information on the reported attempted suicide but did not immediately receive a response.
Joseph Hertgen’s wake took place on Friday and his funeral is scheduled to take place today St. Luke Roman Catholic Church in Toms River, according to his obituary.
Family and friends as they gather for the wake of Joseph Hertgen at the Silverton Memorial Funeral Home on Friday, Feb. 28, 2025 in Toms River, NJ. In the center of the frame is his brother, David Hertgen Jr., on the right with back to the camera is his mother, Debra Hertgen. Joseph was allegedly killed by his brother, Matthew, in Princeton at their apartment on Saturday night. (Stephanie Keith for Fox News Digital)
“He played on many sports teams, loved traveling with his friends, and always enjoyed a good game of ping pong or chess,” the obituary reads. “He was such a kind person, had a great love of life and his smile brightened every room.”
Princeton police initially responded to a 911 call on Feb. 22 at around 11:16 p.m. reporting a fire and a dead body at the Michelle Mews Apartments complex.
Upon arrival, police found Matthew Hertgen, who was determined to be the 911 caller, in the residence along with his brother’s body, which “exhibited signs of blunt force trauma and lacerations,” the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office said in a press release.
Authorities have yet to describe any kind of motive related to Hertgen’s murder charges.
Debra Hertgen and her son, David Hertgen, Jr., arrive to the wake of Joseph Hertgen on Frida in Toms River, NJ. (Stephanie Keith for Fox News Digital)
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Matthew Hertgen shared some disturbing, graphic poetry on his Facebook profile in September and May 2024 that described blood oozing out of eyes and “knives sharpening.”
One of Matthew Hertgen’s friends from Toms River High School told Fox News Digital that he has “nothing bad to say” about the former soccer player, who went on to study at Wesleyan University in Connecticut. Joseph Hertgen also played soccer at Toms River before he was recruited to the University of Michigan.
Daniel Gotlin of Gotlin & Jaffe in New York told Fox News Digital that he knew the Hertgen brothers to be very smart, but he added that Matthew “obviously” had some “mental health issues.”
Gotlin, who is not involved in the Hertgen case, successfully tried a mental health defense in 2014 while representing a man accused of fatally stabbing his mother. He believes Matthew’s public defenders will consider an insanity plea for the 31-year-old suspect, which would ensure that he is kept in the custody of a mental health facility rather than prison until and if he is determined not to be a threat to society.
Family and friends as they gather for the wake of Joseph Hertgen at the Silverton Memorial Funeral Home on Feb. 28 in Toms River, New Jersey. (Stephanie Keith for Fox News Digital)
“There’s absolutely no doubt he’s got a phychiatric disorder,” he said. “I don’t know what kind of physical evidence they have on him, but if [prosecutors] have got a good case, you’ve got to look at a psychiatric defense. “Gotlin believes it is “very unlikely this guy would see the light of day” if he were to be committed to a mental health facility.
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The defense attorney noted the possibility of schizophrenia, which typically appears in men when they are in their late teens and early 20s through their late 20s.
A new pre-trial hearing has been rescheduled for March 6 to allow both prosecutors and the defense more time to gather discovery, or information about Hertgen’s case.
