Prosecutor: Charges upgraded to manslaughter in Jersey City homicide of Hoboken man

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Charges have been upgraded to manslaughter in the Jersey City homicide case of a Hoboken man, Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez announced.

Josh Espada. Photo courtesy of the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office.

By John Heinis/Hudson County View

On Tuesday, the Regional Medical Examiner’s Office issued findings in the death of Luis Rivera, 38, of Hoboken. The RMEO determined the cause of death to be blunt
force trauma to the head and the manner of death to be homicide, Suarez said in a statement.

Yesterday, charges against Joshua Espada, 29, of Jersey City were upgraded to reckless manslaughter, a second-degree crime. He is currently being held at the Hudson County Correctional Facility in Kearny until his first court appearance, authorities said.

On October 20th at approximately 3:00 a.m., Jersey City police were dispatched to
the area of 1st Street and Marin Boulevard in Jersey City on a report of a street fight.

Upon arrival, officers found an unresponsive male lying with apparent facial wounds on the
ground at that location. The man, who was identified as Rivera, was treated at the scene by Emergency Medical Services before being transported to the Jersey City Medical Center, officials said.

Rivera was pronounced dead at approximately 4:10 a.m. on October 21st. The initial investigation revealed that Rivera was assaulted at that location.

On October 21st, a warrant was issued for the arrest of Espada, charging him initially with aggravated assault, also a second-degree crime, police said.

The Prosecutor’s Homicide Unit and the Jersey City Police Department are actively investigating the case.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office at
201-915-1345 or to leave an anonymous tip on the Prosecutor’s Office official website at:
http://www.hudsoncountyprosecutorsofficenj.org/homicide-tip/.

All information will be kept confidential.


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