ICE immediately placed a detainer on Victor Chitay, 37, after he was arrested Tuesday and booked into the Bergen County Jail, records show.
Chitay sexually assaulted the pre-teen “on more than one occasion,” Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said.
Detectives from the prosecutor’s Special Victims Unit arrested the roofing contractor following a tip from Bergenfield police, Musella prosecutor said.
They charged him with three counts of first-degree aggravated sexual assault and one count each of sexual assault by contact and child endangerment, he said.
Chitay, who's had his work exhibited in New York City, remained held pending a first appearance in Central Judicial Processing Court in Hackensack.
ICE issued a detainer amid questions over his immigration status. Jail records list Chitay as an Ecuadoran national.
If a local judge for some reason orders his release, ICE has requested 48-hour notice so that it could seek to take custody of Chitay for possible deportation proceedings.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Garfield-Lodi and receive free news updates.