A 76-year-old former Cumberland County youth sports coach already awaiting trial on charges of sexually assaulting three minors was arrested Thursday night after police spotted him sitting in the bleachers at a Bridgeton High School football game attended by many minors. Robert R. “Ronnie” Marino was taken into custody around 8 p.m. during the matchup between Bridgeton and Timber Creek and was still being held at the Cumberland County Jail as of Friday.
Marino's presence at the game violated a judicial protection order issued in January that explicitly barred him from any contact with minors, supervised or unsupervised, and from attending youth sporting events, according to NJ.com. Officers who recognized him in the crowd eventually approached him after he used the restroom, intervening again to stop him from heading toward the concession stand, per the same report. He was charged with fourth-degree contempt for violating the order and jailed.
Under New Jersey statute N.J.S.A. 2C:29-9, knowingly violating a judicial order in a criminal case is a fourth-degree crime punishable by up to 18 months in state prison and a fine as high as $10,000, according to Tormey Law Firm. Prosecutors moved Friday to keep Marino detained until his underlying assault cases are resolved, a request made possible under New Jersey's Criminal Justice Reform Act, which allows a motion to revoke pretrial release when a defendant breaches court-ordered conditions, per the NACDL. That statute requires clear and convincing evidence that no set of release conditions can reasonably protect the community before a judge can order someone held.
A Case That Grew From One Accuser to Three
Marino's legal trouble began in July 2023 when a then-16-year-old told police that Marino sexually assaulted him at his Bridgeton home, after showing the teen pornography and giving him alcohol beforehand, the article states. Marino admitted to police that he showed the teen pornography and drank whiskey with him but said he did not remember the alleged assault itself, according to the same account. That 2023 case was not related to any coaching duties, police said.
Two more accusers later came forward describing a pattern stretching back decades. One man said Marino sexually assaulted him repeatedly between 1994 and 1998, when he was between 14 and 17 years old, a detail first reported by Daily Voice. A separate accuser alleged Marino assaulted him 30 to 40 times when he was between 12 and 16, often after Marino had taken him to sporting events and provided him alcohol and pornography beforehand, per NJ.com's reporting. A former player recalled Marino as a youth football coach in the 1980s, according to 6ABC following his initial 2023 arrest.
Indictments Piled Up Before Pretrial Release
A Cumberland County grand jury first indicted Marino in January 2024 on charges tied to two teenage boys, an action announced by Cumberland County Prosecutor Jennifer Webb-McRae, according to Daily Voice's earlier coverage of the case. By September 2025, a grand jury had returned a superseding eight-count indictment covering all three alleged victims, charging Marino with two first-degree counts of aggravated sexual assault, four second-degree counts of sexual assault, and two third-degree counts of endangering the welfare of a child, per the NJ.com report.
Marino's attorney had argued in 2025 that his client suffered from ongoing health issues that could not be properly addressed in jail, submitting roughly 800 pages of medical documentation to prosecutors as part of that argument, NJ.com reported. Marino was later released pending trial — a status that ended Thursday night. His attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the latest arrest, according to the same outlet.
What Comes Next in Court
New Jersey's pretrial detention standards under N.J.S.A. 2A:162-18 require judges to weigh the severity of first- and second-degree charges, the strength of the evidence, and the risk a defendant poses to community safety, according to Brett Rosen Law. The state's criminal justice reform system replaced cash bail with that risk-based framework, meaning prosecutors must now convince a judge that no combination of release conditions can assure Marino will stay away from minors.
Marino's next scheduled hearing on the underlying assault charges is set for December, according to NJ.com. Prosecutor Jennifer Webb-McRae has previously urged anyone with additional information to contact Bridgeton Police detectives.
