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Eric Palese, age 27, of Tarrytown, sexually assaulted the under-16-year-old child multiple times, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said on Thursday, April 6.
Based on the charges, it was at least a half-dozen times during the second and third weeks of March.
Authorities began investigating the 6-foot, 270-pound Palese after the tip came in on Monday, the prosecutor said.
Musella said the tipster reported that Palese "contacted the child via social media and sexually assaulted the victim in River Edge," a borough that borders both Hackensack and Paramus.
Palese was arrested on Tuesday and sent to the Westchester County Jail, the prosecutor said.
He was transferred on Thursday to the Bergen County Jail, where he’s awaiting a first appearance in Central Judicial Processing Court in Hackensack on six counts of sexual assault, two of criminal sexual contact, and one of child endangerment.
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