Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella announced the arrest of 61-year-old LUIS ZHAGUI of Queens, NY on charges of sexual assault by sexual contact and endangering the welfare of a child. The arrest was the result of an investigation conducted by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office under the direction of Chief Matthew Finck, and the Hasbrouck Heights Police Department under the direction of Chief Joe Rinke.
On Tuesday, July 25, 2023, the New York City Police department contacted the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit regarding a report of sexual assault that had occurred in the past in Bergen County, NJ. An investigation by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office and the Hasbrouck Heights Police Department revealed that LUIS ZHAGUI sexually assaulted a juvenile under the age of 13 years old in Hasbrouck Heights, NJ.
As a result of the investigation, on Tuesday, June 4, 2024, LUIS ZHAGUI was charged with second-degree criminal sexual assault by sexual contact, N.J.S.A. 2C:14-2b; and third-degree endangering the welfare of a child, N.J.S.A. 2C:24-4a(1). On Thursday, June 6, 2024, along with members of the New York City Police Department (“NYPD”), detectives from the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit located and apprehended LUIS ZHAGUI in Queens, NY. ZHAGUI was detained by the NYPD pending extradition to Bergen County, NJ.
Prosecutor Musella states that the charges are merely accusations, and that the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. He would like to thank the Hasbrouck Heights Police Department and the New York City Police Department for their assistance in this investigation.
