Prospect Park Man Charged In Knifepoint Home Invasion & Sexual Assault

Wednesday, February 11, 2026, 8:00 A.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,

LODI, NJ.- On Sunday, a 27-year-old Prospect Park, New Jersey, man was taken into custody and jailed after being charged in connection with breaking into the Lodi, New Jersey, home of an acquaintance and sexually assaulting them at knifepoint earlier in the day.

     According to Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella, on Sunday, February 8, 2026, members of the Lodi Police Department contacted the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit regarding an alleged sexual assault that had occurred earlier on Sunday.

     During the ensuing investigation, Detectives of the Bergen County Special Victims Unit, in conjunction with the Lodi Police Department, quickly determined that Valentino Tusha, 27, of Prospect Park, New Jersey, unlawfully entered the Lodi, New Jersey, home of an acquaintance and sexually assaulted them at knifepoint.

     Accordingly, as a result of the investigation, on Sunday, February 8, 2026, Detectives formally charged Tusha with two counts of first-degree Aggravated Sexual Assault; one count of first-degree Home Invasion Burglary; and third-degree Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose.

     Later in the day, on Sunday, Detectives with the assistance of the Bergen County Regional SWAT Team located and arrested Tusha in Prospect Park, New Jersey. Following being taken into custody, he 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.”