Monmouth County Church Pastor Charged With Sex Crimes Against Teen Parishioner
Wednesday, December 31, 2025, 7:00 A.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,
RED BANK, NJ.- Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago reported that following an investigation, a 50-year-old former pastor of a local Monmouth County Church was taken into custody and jailed after being charged in connection with allegedly engaging in a nearly four-year-long pattern og sexual activity with a teen parishioner.
Enrique Molina, 50, was criminally charged with two counts of first-degree Aggravated Sexual Assault; four counts of second-degree Endangering the Welfare of a Child; three counts of second-degree Sexual Assault; two counts of third-degree Aggravated Criminal Sexual Contact; one count of third-degree Attempted Aggravated Criminal Sexual Contact; one count of third-degree Hindering Apprehension; and three counts of fourth-degree Criminal Sexual Contact.
The charges stem from an investigation launched after the Red Bank Police Department received a report of alleged child sex crimes, which subsequently led to a joint investigation by members of the Eatontown, Neptune Township, and Ocean Township Police Departments and Detectives of the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Bureau.
During the investigation, Detectives determined that Molina met the child victim at his church, Iglesia Pentecostal Nuevo Remanente, formerly located on Monmouth Street in Red Bank, New Jersey. Molina’s alleged criminal sexual activity began around seven years ago, when the girl was just fourteen years old, and continued for more than three years, with the alleged crimes taking place in four Monmouth County municipalities.
Molina was taken into custody last week without incident. He was processed on the charges and was remanded to the Monmouth County Correctional Institution pending future court proceedings in Monmouth County Superior Court in Freehold, New Jersey.
The investigation remains ongoing. Anyone with information regarding Molina’s activities is urged to contact Detective Jason Apaza of the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office at 1-800-533-7443, Detective Jorge Gonzales of the Eatontown Police Department at (732) 389-7628, or Detective Michael Legg of the Ocean Township Police Department at (732) 531-1800. All calls and information will be kept confidential.
“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.”
