Princeton preppy murder suspect attempts suicide as slain brother laid to rest: report

Matthew Hertgen, 31, tried to hang himself at Mercer County Correction Center just hours after he made a virtual court appearance in relation to murder charges he is facing for the slaying of his 26-year-old brother, per the report, citing a law enforcement source.

He is also charged with animal cruelty after the family's cat was set on fire. 

Fox News Digital reached out to Mercer County Correction Center for more information on the reported attempted suicide but did not immediately receive a response. 

Joseph Hertgen's wake took place on Friday and his funeral is scheduled to take place today St. Luke Roman Catholic Church in Toms River, according to his obituary.

"He played on many sports teams, loved traveling with his friends, and always enjoyed a good game of ping pong or chess," the obituary reads. "He was such a kind person, had a great love of life and his smile brightened every room."

Upon arrival, police found Matthew Hertgen, who was determined to be the 911 caller, in the residence along with his brother's body, which "exhibited signs of blunt force trauma and lacerations," the Mercer County Prosecutor's Office said in a press release.

Matthew Hertgen shared some disturbing, graphic poetry on his Facebook profile in September and May 2024 that described blood oozing out of eyes and "knives sharpening."

One of Matthew Hertgen's friends from Toms River High School told Fox News Digital that he has "nothing bad to say" about the former soccer player, who went on to study at Wesleyan University in Connecticut. Joseph Hertgen also played soccer at Toms River before he was recruited to the University of Michigan.

Daniel Gotlin of Gotlin & Jaffe in New York told Fox News Digital that he knew the Hertgen brothers to be very smart, but he added that Matthew "obviously" had some "mental health issues."

"There's absolutely no doubt he's got a phychiatric disorder," he said. "I don't know what kind of physical evidence they have on him, but if [prosecutors] have got a good case, you've got to look at a psychiatric defense. "Gotlin believes it is "very unlikely this guy would see the light of day" if he were to be committed to a mental health facility.

The defense attorney noted the possibility of schizophrenia, which typically appears in men when they are in their late teens and early 20s through their late 20s.

A new pre-trial hearing has been rescheduled for March 6 to allow both prosecutors and the defense more time to gather discovery, or information about Hertgen's case.