A former Trenton Water Works employee has been indicted for allegedly falsifying water quality data for more than a year.
Cesar Lugo, 37, of Trenton has been charged with multiple offenses, including theft by deception, tampering with public records and violating the Safe Drinking Water Act. The N.J. Attorney General’s Office announced the indictment on May 12.
Lugo, who worked as a water sample collector from October to November 2023, is accused of submitting fraudulent water testing results during his tenure.
According to authorities, an investigation revealed that Lugo collected water samples from his home faucet instead of designated testing sites, compromising the integrity of the utility’s monitoring processes.
Trenton Mayor Reed Gusciora has condemned Lugo’s actions as a “clear violation of public trust” and said that steps were taken to address the misconduct.
These measures included notifying the state Department of Environmental Protection, referring the matter to law enforcement, and terminating Lugo’s employment.
In response to the incident, TWW implemented several reforms to enhance oversight and prevent future occurrences. These included installing GPS tracking devices on fleet vehicles, pairing employees with supervisors during sample collection, requiring photo documentation of sampling sites, utilizing tablets with specialized software, and providing additional staff training.
Despite the falsification, Gusciora assured residents that the water remained safe to drink throughout the period in question, citing hourly testing at the utility’s Route 29 South filtration plant and other safeguards in place.
The NJDEP’s investigation invalidated 1,660 sampling events conducted between October 2022 and December 2023, concluding that TWW failed to meet state and federal drinking water monitoring requirements during that time.
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