Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella announced the arrest of 32-year-old JELANI McKENZIE of Queens, NY on charges of aggravated sexual assault, endangering the welfare of a child, and aggravated criminal sexual contact. 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 Alpine Police Department under the direction of Chief Matthew Kent.
On Tuesday, July 23, 2024, the Alpine Police Department contacted the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit regarding the alleged sexual assault of a juvenile under the age of sixteen that began in March of 2024. An investigation by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office and the Alpine Police Department revealed that JELANI McKENZIE, while employed as a support services director at a youth camp, sexually assaulted a juvenile under the age of sixteen in Alpine, NJ on multiple occasions.
As a result of the investigation, on Thursday, July 25, 2024, JELANI McKENZIE was charged with four counts of first-degree aggravated sexual assault, N.J.S.A. 2C:14-2a(2)(b); second-degree endangering the welfare of a child, N.J.S.A. 2C:24-4a(1); and three counts of third-degree aggravated criminal sexual contact, N.J.S.A. 2C:14-3a.
On Friday, July 26, 2024, detectives from the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit and the Alpine Police Department, alongside officers from the New York City Police Department (NYPD) and special agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (New York Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force), located and arrested JELANI McKENZIE in Queens, NY. McKENZIE was taken into custody and held by the New York City Department of Corrections – Rikers Island Facility, 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. Prosecutor Musella would like to thank the Alpine Police Department for its assistance in this investigation, as well as the New York City Police Department/FBI NY Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force for their assistance in the apprehension of the defendant.