Worker faked drinking water safety reports for 225K NJ residents, officials say

💧 Worker lied on reports about drinking water safety, officials say

💧 Utility said a majority of samples taken for more than a year were invalid

💧 Local officials demand that Trenton give up control of TWW

TRENTON — A Trenton Water Works employee has been indicted on charges including violating the Safe Drinking Water Act, according to authorities.

Cesar Lugo, 37, of Trenton, is charged with two counts of second-degree official misconduct, third-degree theft by deception, two counts of third-degree records tampering, and fourth-degree falsifying records.

According to the Attorney General's Office, Lugo was a water sample collector for Trenton Water Works. He has since been fired.

Get our free mobile app

The utility serves drinking water to 225,000 people in Mercer County, including Trenton, Hamilton, Ewing, Lawrence Township, and Hopewell.

Authorities said Lugo didn't perform sample collections required by law to test for disinfection byproducts, E. Coli, pH levels, and other things to make sure the drinking water met health standards.

Lugo then lied on documents, claiming that he had tested the water and that it was safe to drink, authorities said.

He also filled out timesheets that lied about the hours he worked for Trenton Water Works, authorities said.

The indictment covers a six-week period in 2023 from Oct. 1 to Nov. 13, but a letter sent out by Trenton Water Works this past December said samples weren't collected at the utility from Oct. 1, 2022 through Dec. 31, 2023.

State takeover of Trenton Water Works?

In a statement in December 2024, Trenton Mayor Reed Gusciora, a Democrat, said it was "extremely bad" and "embarrassing" for the utility.

After Trenton Water Works revealed the debacle, fellow Democrat Hopewell Township Mayor Courtney Peters-Manning renewed calls for a state takeover of Trenton Water Works.

Hamilton Mayor Jeff Martin, also a Democrat, piled on and said that residents could no longer trust the City of Trenton to run the utility.

On Monday, Trenton Mayor Gusciora released a statement and said that the city must retain control of Trenton Water Works.

"The governance of TWW rests on the residents, expressed through their elected City Council, and any decision about its future should not be made by decree or lawsuit. Trenton Water Works is more than pipes and pumps — it is part of Trenton’s identity and it is our responsibility to decide its future," Gusciora said.

Report a correction 👈 | 👉 Contact our newsroom