Gothamist · Mike Hayes · September 9, 2026
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The investigation into New Jersey Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell is focused on allegations of inappropriate behavior with women that occurred during the short time since he was inaugurated in January, according to two people with knowledge of the probe.
The two people confirmed that the law firm Lowenstein Sandler is investigating the allegations against Caldwell, but could not provide further details on who has come forward or what the specific allegations are. One source, a Democrat outside Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s office, asked not to be named because they are not permitted to speak publicly about the investigation. Another said they had not sought permission to share what they know about the investigation on the record.
Sherrill tapped former New Jersey Attorney General Christopher Porrino to handle the investigation, which has been underway for the past two months, according to the Democratic source. A spokesperson for the firm told Gothamist on Tuesday that they cannot comment on the investigation.
The news of the Caldwell investigation was first reported on Friday by the New Jersey Globe. Multiple outlets, including the New York Times and NJ.com, have confirmed the existence of the investigation through unnamed sources.
Caldwell’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. He has yet to speak publicly about the allegations against him.
Sherrill has also not officially confirmed the investigation. But on Tuesday she released a statement urging anyone with additional allegations to come forward.
“I take my responsibility to treat any reports of inappropriate behavior or misconduct extremely seriously, and any credible report must be fully examined and addressed. If the evidence warrants, I will take appropriate action quickly,” the first-term Democratic governor said.
In July 2025, Sherrill chose Caldwell to be her running mate in the gubernatorial race against Republican Jack Ciattarelli. She would go on to defeat Ciattarelli by 14 points in November.
Sherrill has notched several early wins since taking office earlier this year, including a series of legislation aimed at lowering energy costs for residents and passing her first state budget largely free of the kind of political infighting that has plagued past budgets.
But her first year in office has also faced some turmoil, in addition to the recent allegations against Caldwell. She has been criticized over what some saw as the state police’s aggressive handling of protest at the Delaney Hall immigrant detention center in Newark. And earlier this summer, she revealed that up to 6,600 noncitizens had erroneously been registered to vote due to problems with the state’s automatic voter registration program during the past Murphy administration, with about 330 casting ballots in elections.
Republicans have called on Caldwell to either resign or at least temporarily step aside pending the conclusion of Porrino’s investigation. Republican members of the Legislature are also criticizing Sherrill for what they see as a lack of transparency with state lawmakers over the details of the investigation.
Top state Democrats have repeatedly declined to comment on the matter since Friday. In a statement Tuesday, state Assemblymember Katie Brennan, a Jersey City Democrat, called the allegations against Caldwell “serious.” She called for a “thorough and independent investigation” but did not say whether Caldwell should step down from his job.
In 2017, Brennan accused Al Alvarez, a campaign staffer for former Gov. Phil Murphy, of sexually assaulting her while she was volunteering for the campaign. Prosecutors never charged Alvarez. But Brennan later settled a civil suit against the state and the Murphy campaign for $1 million.
Prior to joining Sherrill’s ticket, Caldwell served as the first Black president of Centenary University since 2023. He’s also currently the pastor at the Covenant United Methodist Church in Plainfield, New Jersey.
Mike Hayes covers equity and access to opportunity in New Jersey. He joined WNYC and Gothamist in 2023. Before that, he worked as a freelance journalist writing about policing and criminal justice. He has written for ProPublica, CNN, HuffPost, BuzzFeed News and The Appeal. He is also the author of the book, “The Secret Files: Bill De Blasio, The NYPD, and the Broken Promises of Police Reform.” In 2019, he was a finalist for the Livingston Award for Young Journalists.
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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