Mercer County prosecutor appoints new chief and deputy chief of detectives

Mercer County Prosecutor Janetta Marbrey has appointed Brian Kiely as the chief of county detectives and Anthony Petracca as deputy chief, placing two longtime law enforcement veterans in the top investigative posts at the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office.

Marbrey said both men bring extensive experience to the roles. “Brian and Tony are both consummate professionals with a wealth of knowledge and experience,” she said in a statement.

Kiely has spent most of his 26-year law enforcement career with the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office. Before joining the office as a detective in 2006, he served as a civil and state investigator with the New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice and worked with the U.S. Customs Narcotics Interdiction Unit at Newark Liberty International Airport. At the prosecutor’s office, he supervised units including Major Crimes, Special Victims, Internet Crimes Against Children, Human Trafficking, Humane Law Enforcement, and the Mercer County Homicide Task Force.

He helped launch the ARRIVE Together program in Mercer County and led efforts to modernize digital evidence management. He also helped develop the office’s policy for responding to incidents involving barricaded individuals experiencing mental or behavioral health crises.

Kiely has received awards from local, state, and federal agencies, including recognition from the Drug Enforcement Administration, the New Jersey Narcotics Enforcement Officers Association, and the New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice. He holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from John Jay College and is a graduate of the Division of Criminal Justice Police Academy and the FBI-LEEDA Supervisor Institute.

Petracca, the new deputy chief of detectives, began his law enforcement career in 1995 with the former Princeton Borough Police Department and later joined the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office as a detective. He worked in units including Grand Jury, Domestic Violence, Special Investigations, Special Victims, Trial and Insurance Fraud before retiring in 2020. Afterward, he worked for the West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District and most recently served as a special law enforcement officer with the West Windsor Police Department.

During his career, Petracca received several honors, including Princeton Borough Officer of the Year in 1999 and awards from the New Jersey Narcotics Enforcement Officers Association and the New Jersey Sex Crimes Officers Association. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Rutgers University, a master’s degree in education from Seton Hall University, and a law degree from Seton Hall University School of Law.