'I did not do it:' NJ man maintains innocence weeks before sentencing in 1999 murder
"I did not kidnap, sexually assault or murder Nancy Noga," states the undated letter on Middlesex County Adult Correction Center stationery, with Bruce Cymanski's name and inmate number above the letterhead.
In October, Cymanski, 52, was convicted of the 1999 kidnapping, sexual assault and murder of 17-year-old Nancy Noga. Jason Seidman, Cymanski's attorney, has previously said he plans to appeal the conviction.
Noga was reported missing Jan. 7, 1999 when she failed to arrive home after leaving her after-school job at the nearby Rag Shop on Route 9 in Old Bridge.
Police searched the neighborhood, but her frozen body wasn't found until five days later by a man walking his dog in the woods behind an Ernston Road mini-mall. An autopsy determined she died from blunt force trauma to the head from a large branch.
Her death was a cold case for more than two decades.
In 1999, Cymanski was about 26 years old and his wife worked at the Kmart store not far from the shop where Noga worked.
In 2021, a DNA sample from Cymanski was compared to semen found on Noga's body and her underwear, and it was a match.
Prosecutors successfully argued the source of the semen identified the murderer.
The Cymanski letter was recently posted by Madalyn Elizabeth, on the Sayreville, New Jersey public Facebook page.
In the post, Madalyn Elizabeth, who says Cymanski is her brother-in-law, asks the public to read the handwritten letter.
"I hope the family can read this and I wish they would ask for the discovery they will see the wrong man is behind bars! Bruce didn't do this! There's 5,000 pages of discovery I read it all! Bruce is innocent!" Elizabeth's post states. "The person who did this is still out there & if you want Justice for Nancy then find the real person who did this to her!"
The letter states Cymanski, a former resident of South Amboy and Old Bridge, was offered a 10-year plea agreement that his attorney thought he could reduce to five years and he would have to serve 85 percent before becoming eligible for parole.
More: Ocean County man found guilty of 1999 killing of Sayreville student Nancy Noga
"Ask why I didn't take it and I will say over and over, I did not do it," the letter states.
In the letter, Cymanski alleges Department of Justice guidelines were violated in obtaining his DNA and used to obtain a warrant.
"DNA doesn't make a person a murderer, and it also doesn't mean a person was kidnapped, or sexually assaulted either," states the letter, which also indicates there are many other possible suspects in the 5,000 pages of discovery.
The letter states Cymanski's family fully supports him and suggests Noga's family should review all the discovery.
More: Sentencing delayed for NJ man convicted of killing teenage girl 26 years ago
The letter continues there were no signs Noga was kidnapped or sexually assaulted and that day wasn't the first time Noga had not gone straight home from work.
"This case is over 25 years and is considered high profile, where is the real evidence, not just finger pointing and DNA? I'm sure there was evidence that was overlooked, lost, not worth investigating or even followed up on," the letter states, adding that perhaps someone never came forward with information about something they might have seen.
The letter states the truth will come out and Noga will get the justice she deserves.
"Nancy definitely deserves justice, but true justice, and her family deserves closure, but it shouldn't be at the expense of innocent people," the letter states.
Email: srussell@gannettnj.com
Suzanne Russell is a breaking news reporter for MyCentralJersey.com covering crime, courts and other mayhem. To get unlimited access, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: NJ man writes letter maintaining innocence in 1999 Sayreville murder
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