Mario Astudillo-Mendieta
On October 10th, 2024, a female walked into the Guttenberg Police Department to report her 15-year-old daughter missing. During the investigation, it was found that on October 7th, 2024, the juvenile’s mother walked into their home and found her daughter lying naked on a couch with a male, who she believed was her daughter’s friend. Following a verbal dispute, the male and juvenile left the home and her mother had no idea where they went. Her daughter did not possess a cell-phone, there was no method of getting in contact with her, and she had not returned for a few days. However, the juvenile’s mother possessed the phone number of the male, which she provided during the investigation.
After receiving this information, members of the Guttenberg Police Department’s Patrol Division were able to ping the male’s cell-phone to an industrial area in Sayreville, NJ. In the surrounding area, there were multiple motels where the juvenile and male could have been staying. With the assistance of the Sayreville Police Department, the juvenile and male were located and then transported to the Guttenberg Police Department. As the result of this investigation, members of the Guttenberg Police Department’s Patrol Division arrested 20-year-old Mario Astudillo-Mendieta of Ecuador for endangering the welfare of a child [2C:24-4A(1)] and criminal sexual contact [2C:14-3B]. Upon the completion of his arrest processing, Mr. Astudillo-Mendieta was issued his complaint warrant and then lodged in the Hudson County Correctional Center.
If anyone has any information pertaining to this incident, they are encouraged to contact the Guttenberg Police Department at 201-868-3300 or email:
1. Lt. Steven Diaz - sdiaz@guttenbergpolice.org
2. Det. Sgt. Marcin Rysiec - mrysiec@guttenbergpolice.org
The charges above are merely accusations. Every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty in a court of law.