A Barnegat man charged with the murder of a 17-year-old Sayreville High School senior will spend the rest of his life in prison, a judge decided Monday.

More than 20 years after Nancy Noga's murder, Bruce A. Cymanski, 52, was sentenced by Superior Court Judge Joseph Paone to life in prison with a 30-year parole ineligibility period for the murder. He was also sentenced to 20 years for Noga's kidnapping, which will be served consecutively to the murder sentence, as well as 15 years for aggravated assault and two consecutive sentences for first-degree felony murder and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose.

The sentencing followed a three-week trial that took place in October 2024. The cold case had previously been open and active for 25 years.

On Jan. 7, 1999, Noga, a high school senior, never returned home from work. Her family reported her missing and a search began. It wasn't until five days later, on Jan. 12 at approximately 8:57 a.m., that her body was discovered in a wooded area behind a strip mall on Ernston Road in Sayreville.

"An autopsy later determined Noga died from blunt force trauma after being struck with a blunt object," Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone and Sayreville Police Chief Daniel Plumacker said in a joint statement.

In August 2021, Cymanski was arrested near his home in connection with the crime. His arrest and indictment came after an investigation in which he was identified, in part, through the use of genetic genealogy conducted by the Chief Genetic Genealogist of Parabon NanoLabs, the prosecutor said following the arrest.

“In the decades since Nancy Noga’s death, law enforcement has relentlessly pursued justice on her behalf. The advancement of modern scientific tools has allowed that endeavor to enter a new chapter,” Prosecutor Ciccone said in 2021.

As with all homicides, the prosecutor said, the case remained open and active as the investigation continued.

"Law enforcement officers from the Sayreville Police Department and the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office were committed to bringing justice to the Noga Family.

Ciccone praised the work of the law enforcement personnel, both active and retired "for their dogged commitment to this investigation and prosecution, which resulted in the conviction of the defendant."