Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella announced the arrest of 42-year-old JOSE F. VILLANUEVA of Lodi, New Jersey on charges of aggravated sexual assault, 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 Lodi Police Department under the direction of Chief Donald Scorzetti.
On Wednesday, June 12, 2024, the Division of Child Protection and Permanency contacted the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit regarding an alleged sexual assault of a juvenile. An investigation by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office and the Lodi Police Department revealed that JOSE F. VILLANUEVA sexually assaulted a child, under the age of thirteen, in Lodi, NJ and in Passaic, NJ, while VILLANUEVA had a supervisory role over the child.
As a result of the investigation, on Wednesday, June 12, 2024, JOSE VILLANUEVA was arrested in Paramus, NJ and charged with first-degree aggravated sexual assault, N.J.S.A. 2C:14-2a(1); second-degree sexual assault by sexual contact, N.J.S.A. 2C:14-2b; and second-degree endangering the welfare of a child, N.J.S.A. 2C:24-4a(1). VILLANUEVA was remanded to the Bergen County Jail pending a first appearance in Central Judicial Processing Court in Hackensack, 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 Lodi Police Department and the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office for their assistance in this investigation.