Bergen County Man Charged With Allegedly Sexually Assaulting Teen

Friday, June 6, 2025, 11:15 A.M. ET. 1 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,

TEANECK, NJ.- A 71-year-old Fort Lee, New Jersey, man is facing up to 25 years in New Jersey State Prison after being taken into custody on Thursday and formally charged in connection with allegedly sexually assaulting a teen over two years in Teaneck, New Jersey.

     According to Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella, on Thursday, May 29, 2025, the Teaneck Police Department contacted Detectives of the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit regarding the alleged sexual assault of a minor that had occurred in the past. 

Detectives Determined That The Child Was Sexually Assaulted

     During the ensuing investigation, Detectives of the Bergen County Special Victims Unit and the Teaneck Police Department determined that Manuel A. Barrantes, 71, of Fort Lee, New Jersey, sexually assaulted and endangered a child under the age of sixteen on multiple occasions beginning in August 2016, and lasting through August 2018 in Teaneck, New Jersey.

     Accordingly, on Thursday, June 5, 2025, Barrantes was taken into custody in Teaneck, New Jersey, and was formally charged with first-degree Aggravated Sexual Assault; and second-degree Endangering the Welfare of a Child. Barrantes 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.

“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.”