A Sikh-American attorney has been appointed as the top prosecutor in the most populous county in New Jersey, becoming the first South Asian to occupy the post in the state. Gurbir Grewal, 42, was sworn in as acting Bergen County prosecutor on January 4, succeeding John Molinelli whose 14-year long tenure has ended. Grewal, a former federal prosecutor, has fought major white-collar crimes for the US Attorney’s Office and most recently served as chief of the Economic Crimes Unit in Newark.

Grewal described his appointment as an “honour and privilege” and said the office of the Bergen County prosecutor is in “many real ways sets the standard for other prosecutor’s offices throughout the state”. Grewal was also sworn in as an assistant attorney general in Trenton by acting state Attorney General John Hoffman.

Grewal was nominated for the post by New Jersey governor Chris Christie in 2013, but the Senate never scheduled a hearing on the appointment.