A former carnival worker said he didn't see who brought the child to the ride or who picked him up after the ride. Watch video
NEW BRUNSWICK -- A man who operated a ride at the Sayreville carnival where Michelle Lodzinski reported her 5-year-old son missing in 1991 testified Thursday afternoon that he told authorities he believed a boy matching Timothy Wiltsey's description was on his ride that evening.
James O'Connell, now a construction worker living in Rahway, said he was working one of the kids' rides at the carnival in Kennedy Park the evening of May 25, 1991 when the word went out that a child was missing.
O'Connell was testifying in the 15th day of testimony in the trial of Lodzinski who is charged with the murder of her son.
He said he told police the boy on his ride wore a tank top, shorts and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle sneakers--a similar description to what Lodzinski said her son was wearing when he disappeared.
Under questioning by Lodzinski's attorney, Gerald Krovatin, O'Connell said when he saw the picture of Timmy on the posters made up for the search, "he looked like the same one (boy) that I put on the ride."
Under cross examination by Middlesex County Assistant Prosecutor Scott La Mountain, O'Connell said he "didn't see who brought (the child) to the ride and who took him away."
Earlier in the afternoon, Jeff Larson, who worked as a seasonal park ranger at Holmdel Park in 1991, testified he saw a young boy playing with an orange basketball on Saturday, May 25, 1991.
He testified he remembered because "Holmdel Park didn't have a basketball court."
He said he didn't recall what the boy was wearing or who the child was with.
Lodzinski told police that she and Timmy spent several hours at Holmdel Park playing with a ball before going to the carnival. There was also testimony of a nerf-type ball being found in her car.
Lodzinski told police she went to buy soda and had her son with her. She said he was at the end of the concession trailer, but, after she turned to pay for her soda and turned back, Timmy was gone. Over the next few weeks, she gave several different statements to police that changed the story, claiming he was abducted by a woman named Ellen she knew from a bank where she used to work and two men.
Timmy's skeletal remains were found in a creek in a swampy area of Raritan Center in Edison, 11 months after his mother reported him missing. Several items were also recovered that authorities believed were linked to his disappearance, including a blue blanket, a pillow case, and a pair of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle sneakers.
Lodzinski was charged with her son's murder in August 2014, although she was considered a main suspect in the case very early in the investigation, according to testimony during the trial. The charges against her weren't brought until the case was reopened in 2011, leading to a re-investigation by the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office.
She has always maintained that she had nothing to do with her son's disappearance or death.
The trial will resume Tuesday before Superior Court Judge Dennis Nieves.
Sue Epstein may be reached at sepstein@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @susan_epstein. Find NJ.com on Facebook.