A woman who grew up in West New York, who calls Jackie Melendez – the ex-wife of West New York United commissioner candidate Hector Hernandez – a friend, swears “on her children’s lives that he hit her,” even though she never witnessed the domestic violence first hand.Â
Cheryl Ramos Morar, 41, who says she moved from West New York to Roswell, Georgia about eight years ago, says that although she never saw Hernandez hit Melendez, she believes there is plenty of evidence to support that claim.
“There was at least one incident, from 2005, where Hector was banging, kicking the door [of their apartment] and threatening to killer her,” Morar said over the phone. “She was hiding behind the couch, shaking, as I tried to calm her down.”
She added that she has been “very good friends” with Melendez for many years, also noting that with graduated from Memorial High School with her sister in 1988.
“I would swear on my children’s lives that he hit her,” stating that she saw Melendez sporting “black and blues” multiple times during her marriage with Hernandez.
Morar also claimed that Hernandez had “a girlfriend” at the time who would call and threaten Melendez.
Hernandez, along with his son – Hector Hernandez, Jr. - unequivocally denied Melendez’s claims of years of domestic abuse (per Hudson County TV) in an interview with Hudson County View on Saturday, said he was “at a total loss for words” over Morar’s allegations.
“We’ve [Cheryl and I] never had any problems, any issues. I’m good friends with her brother, whose a teacher in town, and her mother – who still lives in the housing authority. I also coached her son in baseball,” he said over the phone.
“I don’t understand where this is coming from. I’m at total loss for words. It just makes no sense. I can’t even make heads or tails out of it.”
Robert DiVincent, the longtime executive director of the West New York Housing Authority, told Hudson County View he never heard of any complaints of domestic violence between Hernandez and Melendez – who lived in a housing authority building when they were married.
“Nothing was ever reported to me,” he said succinctly.