Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella announced the arrest of 74-year-old STEPHEN E. SWEET, a church pastor, who resides in Paramus, NJ on charges of aggravated sexual assault, sexual assault, endangering the welfare of a child, aggravated criminal sexual contact and criminal sexual contact. The arrest was the result of an investigation conducted by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit under the direction of Chief Matthew Finck.
On Thursday, July 11, 2024, the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit was contacted regarding the alleged sexual assault of a juvenile that occurred in the past. An investigation by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office revealed that STEPHEN E. SWEET committed various acts of sexual contact and sexual assault on multiple occasions over the course of several years when the child was between the ages of 13 and 18 at locations in River Edge, Paramus, and Ridgewood, NJ.
As a result of the investigation, on Thursday, July 11, 2024, STEPHEN E. SWEET was charged with two counts of first-degree aggravated sexual assault, N.J.S.A 2C:14-2A(2)(b); ten counts of second-degree sexual assault, N.J.S.A. 2C:14-2c(3)(b); three counts of second-degree endangering the welfare of a child, N.J.S.A. 2C:24-4a(1); three counts of third-degree aggravated criminal sexual contact, N.J.S.A. 2C:14-3a; and three counts of fourth-degree criminal sexual contact, N.J.S.A. 2C:14-3b. SWEET was arrested in Paramus, NJ and remanded to the Bergen County Jail for 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 Paramus Police Department and the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office for their assistance in this investigation.