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West New York Man Sexually Assaulted 14-Year-Old Girl: Prosecutor
A 37-year-old West New York man was arrested and charged on Friday, Oct. 18 with sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl in March, authorities said.
The girl reported that in the early morning hours of Monday, March 11, she was approached by an unknown male, later identified as Christopher Ortiz, and she entered his vehicle, Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez said. The girl reported Ortiz later sexually assaulted her inside his residence, Suarez said.
Ortiz is charged with sexual assault, endangering the welfare of a child and criminal sexual contact, Suarez said.
He was arre…
Former West New York Police Officer Johnny Lara Dies, 53
Johnny A. Lara, a former West New York resident and police officer, died on Wednesday, Sept. 4. He was 53 years old.
Lara was born in Colombia and grew up in West New York, having served as a police officer before retiring and moving to Houston TX, according to his obituary on the Barquin Funeral Home website.
He is survived by his wife, Cindy Valderramos Lara; their children Brandon, Bella and Jeremy Lara; his mother Emma J. Lara; and his siblings, Rosario Crabtree, Jimmy and Sammy Lara.
Lara was preceded in death by his father, Marcelino and his brother Henry Lara.
Servic…
Charges Upgraded For 20-Year-Old Man After Pedestrian Dies In Hudson County Hit-Run Crash
Charges were upgraded for two people arrested in a hit-and-run crash after the victim died over the weekend, authorities in Hudson County said.
Samuel Collazo, a 20-year-old Westfield resident, was identified as the driver of the motorcycle that struck Angel Guzman Morales, 54, of Union City, last Saturday, Aug. 17, Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez said.
Collazo was initially charged with knowingly leaving the scene of a crash resulting in serious bodily injury, endangering an injured victim, receiving stolen property, and unlawful taking, Suarez said.
After Morales died on Saturday,…
Two Charged In West New York Hit, Run Crash That Critically Injured Pedestrian: Prosecutor
Two people were arrested and charged on Wednesday, Aug. 21, following a hit-and-run motorcycle crash in West New York that critically injured a pedestrian last Saturday, Aug. 17, authorities said.
At 3:40 p.m., West New York police responded to a report of a pedestrian struck by a motorcycle on Bergenline Avenue and 57th Street and found the victim with life-threatening injuries, Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez said. The occupant of the motorcycle fled the scene on foot, Suarez said.
The victim, a 54-year-old Union City resident, is in critical condition in a nearby hospital, …
Man Gets 18 Years For Sexually Assaulting Woman At Newark Airport: Prosecutor
A 42-year-old West New York man was sentenced to 18 years in jail on Friday, Aug. 2, after pleading guilty to sexually assaulting a woman at Newark Airport last year, authorities said.
In January 2023, Port Authority police responded to a parking garage next to Terminal A after a woman reported being sexually assaulted while she was walking to her car, Union County Assistant Prosecutor Caroline Lawlor, who prosecuted the case, said.
Police quickly located Thomassal Watkins and arrested him at the airport, Lawlor said. In December, Watkins pled guilty to aggravated sexual assault, …
