WOODBRIDGE — A recently appointed Superior Court judge in Middlesex County has been suspended without pay after getting arrested this week for hindering the apprehension of an armed robbery suspect, the state Supreme Court and law enforcement officials said Wednesday.

Carlia Brady, who was appointed to the bench in February, was arrested Tuesday at her home in Woodbridge. Brady, 41, allegedly interfered with police who were seeking to arrest the man, whom she has been dating, said three law enforcement sources familiar with the case.

The officials would not give their names because they are not authorized to release the information.

Brady, the first Filipino-American appointed as a judge in New Jersey, was immediately suspended without pay from her $165,000-a-year job, Chief Justice Stuart Rabner said in a statement Wednesday.

"She will perform no judicial functions until further notice," he said.

The suspect in the armed robbery, Jason Prontnicki, 41, was arrested either at Brady’s home or as he was leaving the house, the law enforcement sources said. Prontnicki is charged with robbing an Old Bridge pharmacy on April 29.

The police report said a man wielding a crow bar entered the pharmacy at about 7 p.m. and demanded drugs. Authorities later identified Prontnicki as a suspect and secured a warrant for his arrest.

The suspended judge knew Prontnicki was a wanted man but failed to notify authorities of his whereabouts, the sources said.

Woodbridge police referred all inquires to the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office. A spokesman for the office, James O'Neill, declined to comment.



In his statement, Rabner said Brady's case will be moved from Middlesex County.

His notice followed a separate order from the state’s highest court stating it had been informed that Brady was charged with "hindering the apprehension of another."

The two-page order went on to say that "there is probable cause to conclude that respondent (Brady) has violated the code of judicial conduct."

Brady could not be reached for comment.

Before rising to Superior Court judge, Brady was an attorney with the Lawrenceville firm of Stark & Stark, working in the accident and personal injury group.

"She had a good track record as a lawyer," said state Sen. Nicholas Scutari (D-Union), chairman of the Senate judiciary committee. Brady was approved unanimously by the committee, and Scutari recalled her confirmation hearing as "uneventful."

He added, "I think just as anybody else, Judge Brady has a right to a full vetting of the facts."

Gov. Chris Christie appointed Brady to the bench. Asked about the suspension, his spokesman, Michael Drewniak, said: "If the accusations about a sitting Superior Court judge are true, then the conduct is deplorable and frankly, stupid,"



Prontnicki was being held at Middlesex County jail in North Brunswick, in lieu of $50,000 bail, county records show. There was no record of Brady being held.

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