A 75-year-old man sexually assaulting a Guttenberg girl when she was between nine and 10 years old dating back to December 2018, authorities said this afternoon.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
On Monday, at approximately 11:00 a.m., members of the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit arrested Jose Mercedes, 75, of Paterson, on charges
involving the sexual assault of an 11-year-old female victim when she was between 9 and 10 years old, according to Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez.
He was arrested at the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office in Jersey City without incident.
On July 23rd, members of the SVU were notified by the Guttenberg Police Department about the alleged sexual assaults which began in December 2018 in a Park Avenue
residence.
Mercedes was acquainted with the victim as a friend of the family. He was arrested
following an investigation by the SVU and the Guttenberg Police Department.
Mercedes has been charged with aggravated sexual assault, sexual assault by contact, and endangering the welfare of a child.
After his arrest, Mercedes was transported to the Hudson County Correctional Facility in Kearny pending his first appearance.
The prosecutor’s office has filed a motion for pretrial detention of the defendant. A hearing is scheduled for Friday, August 6th.
Suarez credited the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit and the Guttenberg Police Department with the investigation and arrest.
