Police arrested a man accused of sexually assaulting a woman at a park in Maplewood, New Jersey.
The sexual assault occurred around 9:30 p.m. at DeHart Park, a popular recreational facility located at 120 Burnett Avenue in Maplewood, NJ. Local youths often go to the park to play street hockey and tennis.
The victim, an 18-year-old woman from Florida, was walking to the Maplewood house of a relative when she crossed through the park. While walking in DeHart Park, the victim was reportedly knocked down and raped by the suspect.
Afterwards, the victim notified the Maplewood Police Department. Several law enforcement agencies collaborated on the investigation into the sex crime, including the Maplewood Police Department, the Irvington Police Department, and the Union Police Department. Investigators were eventually able to identify the suspect.
The suspect is a 19-year-old male who resides in Irvington, NJ. He faces criminal charges for sexual assault and kidnapping.
If the suspect is convicted on the sexual assault charges, he would be subject to severe criminal penalties. That’s because N.J.S.A. 2C:14-2 classifies sexual assault as a second degree felony that carries a potential penalty of 5-10 years in NJ State Prison.
After being placed under arrest and processed, the suspect was remanded to the Essex County Jail in Newark, New Jersey. He was being held at the correctional facility on a $500K bail amount.
To learn more about this case, read the NJ.com article, “18-Year-Old Sexually Assaulted in Maplewood Park, Police Say.”
