New Jersey man charged with killing 4-year-old son

Sean Tate, a 36-year-old New Jersey man, was arrested a year after authorities say he killed his 4-year-old son in a hotel room.

Tate, of Woodbridge, N.J., has been charged with murder and endangering the welfare of a child, the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office announced.

New Jersey man Sean Tate accused of killing 4-year-old son

At approximately 3:24 p.m., on Monday, February 19, 2024, Franklin Township Police Department responded to an area hotel for the report of an unresponsive 4-year-old male child.

Sean Tate (Photo Credit: Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office)

Officers found the unresponsive boy emaciated and with several visible injuries, authorities said.

The child was transported to an area hospital where he was pronounced deceased at 5:24 p.m.

Tate told police his son’s injuries were from previously hitting his head on an air conditioning unit and falling off a toilet, officials said.

Tate said he iced the boy’s injury from the toilet fall before going to sleep earlier that day and when he woke up, the boy was not responsive, authorities said.

An autopsy performed on February 4, 2025, concluded that the child’s manner of death was ruled a homicide.

Information on the case

Anyone with information is asked to call the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office at 908-231-7100 or Franklin Township police at 732-873-5533. Information can also be provided through the Somerset County Crime Stoppers’ Tip Line at 1-888-577-TIPS (8477). Tips will be kept confidential.