Raymond S. Santiago was interviewed by the New Jersey State Senate on November 21, 2022, and thereafter they unanimously voted to confirm his nomination by Governor Phil Murphy to assume the role in full capacity for a five-year term.

Santiago is the 30th fully confirmed County Prosecutor to serve Monmouth County since the first took office nearly 200 years ago, in 1823.

As Prosecutor, Santiago oversees a law-enforcement agency with a staff of approximately 280, including nearly 60 Assistant Prosecutors, 80 Detectives, and numerous clerical and administrative support staff. He is also responsible for the coordination of the law-enforcement efforts of nearly four dozen municipal police departments and two college police departments serving Monmouth County’s approximately 645,000 residents.

Santiago was born in Puerto Rico and grew up in Brooklyn, New York. He graduated from John Jay College of Criminal Justice in 1996 and received his law degree from the City University of New York School of Law at Queens College. In 1999, he was sworn in as an Assistant District Attorney at the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office, and upon leaving that office, he entered private practice. He is admitted to the bar associations in New Jersey, New York, the United States Supreme Court, the U.S. District Court of New Jersey, and the U.S. District Courts of the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York.

Santiago most recently headed the Law Offices of Santiago & Associates, P.C., based in Freehold, a law firm that focuses on the litigation of criminal and immigration law. He also previously served as a public defender for municipalities in Monmouth County and as a Pool Attorney for the State of New Jersey Public Defender’s Office, Monmouth Vicinage, during which time he assisted indigent defendants faced with various crimes or offenses.

Santiago has lived and worked in Monmouth County for over 20 years. He is only the second Prosecutor of Hispanic descent in the history of the Office.