Pearl River Man Charged With Sexually Assaulting Bergen County Juvenile

Wednesday, September 24, 2025, 10:15  A.M. ET. 1 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,

ELMWOOD PARK, NJ.- On Sunday, following an investigation, a 51-year-old Pearl River, New York, man was taken into custody and jailed after being charged in connection with sexually assaulting a child in Elmwood Park, New Jersey.

     According to Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella, on Sunday, September 21, 2025, the Elmwood Police Department contacted the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit after receiving a report that a juvenile had allegedly been sexually assaulted.

     During a swift-moving investigation, and following interviewing witnesses, including the child victims, Detectives determined that Jose Mendez-Ortiz, 51, of Pearl River, New York, sexually assaulted the child multiple times in Elmwood Park, New Jersey.

Mendez-Ortiz Was Arrested And Charged On Sunday

     Accordingly, later in the day on Sunday, September 21, 2025, Mendez-Ortiz was taken into custody and formally charged with three counts of first-degree Aggravated Sexual Assault; second-degree Endangering the Welfare of a Child; and third-degree Aggravated Criminal Sexual Contact. Mendez-Ortiz was processed on the charges and remanded to the Bergen County Jail, pending future court proceedings in the 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.”