Irvington NJ Sex Crime SuspectPolice officers recently arrested a man who allegedly committed a sexual assault of a woman at a public park in Maplewood, NJ.

The suspect reportedly committed the violent sex crime around 9:30 p.m. at DeHart Park, a popular recreational facility on Burnett Avenue in Maplewood, New Jersey. Local youths are known to go to the public park to play street hockey and tennis, among other activities.

The victim in the sexual assault is an 18-year-old woman from Florida. She was walking to the Maplewood NJ home of a relative when she decided to cut through DeHart Park. While the woman was walking in the park, the suspect allegedly ran up to the victim and knocked her to the ground. He then allegedly raped her.

After the assault, the victim contacted the Maplewood Police Department. Several law enforcement agencies subsequently worked together on the investigation into the sexual offense, including the Maplewood Police Department, the Union Police Department, and the Irvington Police Department. Detectives eventually identified the suspect as the likely culprit in the attack.

The suspect, a 19-year-old man from Irvington, New Jersey, was arrested and charged with sexual assault and kidnapping.

If the suspect is ultimately convicted of sexual assault, he would be subject to significant penalties. As set forth by N.J.S.A. 2C:14-2, sexual assault is a second degree criminal offense that carries a potential punishment of 5-10 years in New Jersey State Prison.

After being arrested and charged, the suspect was taken to the Essex County Jail in Newark, NJ. He was being held at the jail in lieu of $500,000 bail.

For additional information about this case, access the NJ.com article, “18-Year-Old Sexually Assaulted in Maplewood Park, Police Say.”