( This story has been updated with new information .)
NEW BRUNSWICK – An Ocean County man has been convicted of kidnapping, sexually assaulting and killing a 17-year-old Sayreville War Memorial High School student more than a quarter century ago.
A jury of eight women and four men on Thursday found 52-year-old Bruce Cymanski guilty of killing Nancy Noga, who failed to arrive home on Jan. 7, 1999, after leaving her after-school job at the nearby Rag Shop on Route 9 in Old Bridge.
Cymanski's sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 6, 2025 – one day shy of the 26th anniversary of the day Noga went missing.
Despite an intense search by police, Noga’s frozen body wasn't found until Jan. 12, 1999, by a man walking his dog in the woods behind an Ernston Road mini-mall. An autopsy determined she died from blunt force trauma to the head. The murder weapon was a large branch, according to the prosecution.
Cymanski, who was charged with kidnapping, aggravated sexual assault, felony murder, murder – all first-degree crimes – and third-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, was found guilty on all charges.
The state's case was handled by Middlesex County Assistant Prosecutor Katie Magee, who serves as the section chief of the Major Crimes Unit, along with Assistant Prosecutors Alexander Battey and Nicolette Spallanzani who presented evidence and testimony to the jury.
Jason Seidman, Cymanski's attorney, said his client is disappointed with the verdict.
"We disagree with the verdict. We certainly respect it. He maintains his innocence and looks forward to being sentenced so he can file an appeal shortly thereafter," Seidman said.
Cymanski, of Barnegat, and a former resident of South Amboy and Old Bridge, did not testify during the trial before Middlesex County Superior Court Judge Joseph Paone.
In 2021, a DNA sample taken from Cymanski was compared to semen found on Noga’s body and her underwear, and Cymanski was identified as the source.
In 1999 Cymanski was about 26 years old, and his wife worked at the Kmart near the Rag Shop where Noga worked.
Noga's disappearance and death rocked the Sayreville community and was an open case for more than two decades.
During the trial, one friend recalled being in school near the end of the day when she learned Noga's body had been found. She said it was a scary time because she and Noga use to walk a lot to the nearby Kmart but after Noga's death, she wouldn't walk alone or walk at night.
Over the years law enforcement officers from the Sayreville Police Department and the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office remained committed to bringing justice to the Noga’s family, according to the prosecutor's office.
Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolando Ciccone thanked the officers, both active and retired, from the Sayreville Police Department, the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office, the New Jersey State Police Office of Forensic Sciences, and the Barnegat Police Department for their "unrelenting commitment" to the investigation and prosecution.
Email: srussell@gannettnj.com
Suzanne Russell is a breaking news reporter for MyCentralJersey.com covering crime, courts and other mayhem. To get unlimited access, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Ocean County man found guilty of 1999 killing of Sayreville student Nancy Noga
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