Man Wanted In Killing of Upper Twp Girlfriend Arrested in Iowa

Joseph Ragan, the Philadelphia man wanted in the 2023 killing of his girlfriend, Emily Cruddas, in Upper Township, was arrested on Jan. 30 on a fugitive warrant in Ottumwa, Iowa.

Ragan has been on the run since Cruddas's sister, Sarah Errickson, was arrested in January for killing her and making the death look like a suicide by overdose by injecting her with a mix of heroin and fentanyl.

Errickson and Ragan are both facing murder charges. Investigators say the pair came up with the plan to kill Cruddas after she was hospitalized following a miscarriage.

Errickson has been ordered to be held in custody until her trial.

Ragan, 22, is in the Wapello County, IA. jail and is awaiting extradition back to Cape May County to face charges.

Police Found Body in Upper Township Home

NJ State Police were called to a home on East Sunrise Road in Upper Township on Feb. 17, 2023, for a reported overdose.

When they arrived, police found the body of Emily Cruddas, 21, of Upper Township. She was pronounced dead at the scene of an apparent overdose.

Murder Suspect Gave Police Details of the Crime

A month after Cruddas' death, Joseph Ragan told police has wanted to make a statement about the death without an attorney present.

He allegedly told police that he watched as Errickson injected 10 to 15 bags of fentanyl and heroin into her sister's hand, telling her to "take your medicine."

Ragan reportedly told the troopers that he put his hand over Cruddas' mouth while Errickson made the injections.

The criminal complaint says Ragan stayed with Cruddas for several hours until she stopped breathing.

For reasons that aren't clear, State Police did not charge Ragan following his statement.

Sarah Errickson Talked About the Killing

The case for a murder charge got stronger in January when another man with knowledge of the killing came forward with a backpack containing 15 wax folds of heroin — the same heroin found on wax paper on Cruddas’ nightstand, authorities said.

In an interview with police on January 23, the affidavit says this man claimed that Errickson had told him that her sister was trying to take the house the two shared.

He said Errickson had lost custody of her children and blamed Cruddas.

Errickson also allegedly told other people she wanted to kill her sister, and thought that a lethal dose of drugs would be a good way to do it.