A Jersey City man was been charged with kidnapping and then sexually assaulting a 14-year-old boy after barricading him in his apartment, Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez announced.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
Robert Harper, 54, of Jersey City, was charged with kidnapping, aggravated sexual assault, two counts of second-degree sexual assault, aggravated sexual contact, and endangering the welfare of a child.
He was arrested at his residence on Union Street in Jersey City just before 5 p.m. yesterday.
The alleged sexual assault occurred after the teen met Harper at Berry Lane Park on Wednesday, March 24th. Harper invited the teen to his apartment and the teen voluntarily went there.
Harper later barricaded the teen in the residence and proceeded to sexually assault
him before the teen was able to get out. The teen immediately ran to the police to report the incident.
Suarez credited the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit and the
Jersey City Police Department for the investigation and arrest.
A detention hearing for Harper is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, March 31st.
Harper recently served as the chair of the Jersey City NAACP’s Environment Committee and also helped run Jersey City United’s board of education election campaign back in 2016.
