A legal expert believes that the man from Princeton, New Jersey, who was once seen as a standout student in high school and is now facing allegations of murdering his brother and a family pet cat, may have experienced a mental health crisis that tragically tore his family apart.
Matthew Hertgen, aged 31, stands accused of taking the life of his 26-year-old brother, Joseph Hertgen, within their family residence in Princeton, reportedly using a knife and a golf club in the act. Additionally, he has been charged with an offense of animal cruelty concerning the demise of a cat.
According to a classmate of Matthew Hertgen from Toms River High School who spoke to Fox News Digital, the individual, known for his adeptness as a former soccer player and his pursuit of higher education at Wesleyan University in Connecticut, is remembered with fondness. Similarly, Joseph Hertgen, who also participated in soccer during his time at Toms River and later transitioned to the University of Michigan on an athletic scholarship, is recalled positively by those who knew him.
“He was just a cool kid who played soccer, got good grades, funny,” the friend said, adding that “Matt was a cool guy” and the recent news “just doesn’t sound like him.”
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. (University of Michigan | Wesleyan University | Google Maps)
Gotlin said that while it’s uncommon for people from affluent families to descend into a mental health crisis that ends in death, it is not unheard of. He mentioned the case of Luigi Mangione, the suspect accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in December on a sidewalk in Manhattan.
Mangione graduated valedictorian from the Gilman School, a private all-boys high school in Baltimore, in 2016. He went on to receive his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in computer science from the University of Pennsylvania in 2020.
An empty courthouse is seen as lawyers convene and Judge Gibbs presides over the Matthew Hertgen murder hearing by video conference at the Mercer County Criminal Court on Feb. 27, 2025, in Trenton, N.J. (Stephanie Keith for Fox News Digital)
“It’s not common, but the best example of it is Luigi Mangione. He grew up, went to the best schools, private schools … and he’s obviously mentally ill,” Gotlin said. “There’s no question about it. People get sick. Mental illness is something, unfortunately, the medical industry hasn’t really conquered.”
Joseph Hertgen was pronounced dead at the scene, and his autopsy results are pending. Local and state officials are investigating the 26-year-old’s death as a homicide.
An investigation into Joseph’s death is ongoing.
