Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella announced the arrests of 58-year-old MARC PIOVANETTI and 50-year-old JENNIFER PIOVANETTI of Fort Lee, NJ, on charges related to a sexual assault investigation conducted by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit, under the direction of Chief Matthew Finck; and the Fort Lee Police Department, under the direction of Chief Matthew Hintze; along with assistance provided by the New York City Police Department, under the direction of Police Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch.
On Sunday, February 23, 2025, the New York City Police Department notified the Fort Lee Police Department about a missing child from New York City who was believed to be in the Fort Lee, NJ area. The Fort Lee Police Department located the child, who was between the ages of thirteen and sixteen, in the company of MARC PIOVANETTI and JENNIFER PIOVANETTI. The Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit was notified, responded, and initiated a joint investigation with the Fort Lee Police Department.
The investigation revealed that MARC PIOVANETTI, a stranger to the victim, engaged in conversation with the child on TurnUp, a social media application, and made arrangements to meet. MARC PIOVANETTI provided the child with marijuana and sexually assaulted the child in his residence between Saturday, February 22, 2025, and Sunday, February 23, 2025. During the course of the investigation, detectives determined that JENNIFER PIOVANETTI was at home in the same residence at the time of the incident, and she was aware of the child’s presence, along with another child under the age of thirteen who was also there.
As a result of the investigation, on Sunday, February 23, 2025, MARC PIOVANETTI was arrested in Fort Lee, NJ and charged with four counts of second-degree sexual assault, N.J.S.A. 2C:14-2c(4); second-degree luring, N.J.S.A. 2C:13-6(a); second-degree endangering the welfare of a child, N.J.S.A. 2C:24-4a(2); and two counts of third-degree endangering the welfare of a child, N.J.S.A. 2C:24-4a(1), 2C:34-4a(2). MARC PIOVANETTI was placed into the custody of the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office, pending a first appearance in Bergen County Superior Court in Hackensack, NJ.
As a result of the investigation, on Sunday, February 23, 2025, JENNIFER PIOVANETTI was also arrested in Fort Lee, NJ and charged with second-degree endangering the welfare of a child, N.J.S.A. 24-4a(2); and third-degree endangering the welfare of a child, N.J.S.A. 2C:24-4a(2). JENNIFER PIOVANETTI was placed into the custody of the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office, pending a first appearance in Bergen County Superior Court in Hackensack, NJ.
This investigation, led by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit, with assistance from the Fort Lee Police Department and the New York City Police Department, is ongoing. Any parent or guardian who determines that their child received inappropriate online communications from MARC PIOVANETTI may contact the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Tips Line at (201) 226-5532.
Prosecutor Musella states that the charges against both defendants are merely accusations, and that each is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. He would like to thank the Fort Lee Police Department and the New York City Police Department for their assistance in this investigation.