Bergen County Man Charged With Sexually Assaulting Preteen Child

Saturday, June 28, 2025, 12:00 P.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,

ENGLEWOOD, NJ.- On Thursday, following an investigation, a 62-year-old Englewood, New Jersey, man was taken and jailed after being charged in connection with the alleged sexual assault of a preteen child.

     According to Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella, on Wednesday, June 25, 2025, a case worker with the New Jersey Department of Child Protection and Permanency contacted the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit regarding an allegation of the sexual assault of a child under the age of thirteen that had occurred in Englewood, New Jersey.

Detectives Uncover Child Sex Crimes

     During an ensuing investigation by the Bergen County Special Victims Unit and the Englewood Police Department, and following interviewing witnesses, including the child victim, Detectives determined that Fidel Fernandez, 62, of Englewood, New Jersey, sexually assaulted the preteen child on two occasions between May 10, 2025, and June 22, 2025, in Englewood, New Jersey.

     Accordingly, on Thursday, June 26, 2025, Fernandez was taken into custody in Englewood, New Jersey, and formally charged with two counts of first-degree Aggravated Sexual Assault; two counts of second-degree Endangering the Welfare of a Child. Fernandez was processed on the charges and was remanded to the Bergen County Jail, pending future court proceedings in Bergen County Superior Court in Hackensack, New Jersey.

     If convicted at trial, under the Jessica Lunsford Act, Fernandez faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years and a maximum sentence of life in New Jersey State Prison.

“The rules of the court require us to include a statement that states: The charges outlined in this publication are merely accusations, and the defendant and or defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt.”