Juan Garcia
KEARNY –
A 55-year-old Belleville man was arrested last week by Kearny police after allegedly making unwanted advances, on at least two occasions, to a 13-year-old Kearny girl, authorities reported.
The suspect, Juan Garcia, was being held in the Hudson County Jail on $75,000 bail on charges of luring by attempting to entice a child, authorities said.
According to police, Officer Pat Becker and Sgt. Pete Gleason responded to the 800 block of Kearny Ave. at 2:30 p.m. July 2 to interview the girl and her guardian relative to the girl’s “having been approached in the area” at least twice “in the recent past by a man who made unwanted advances and had provided her [with] his phone number and attempted to arrange a meeting.”
Armed with a description of the suspect, who was believed to be still in the area, Becker and Gleason located and detained Garcia, who was also found to be wanted on an outstanding theft warrant from Clifton, police said.
He was taken into custody and transported to Kearny police headquarters for processing and for follow-up investigation regarding the original complaint.
While Garcia was at HQ , a positive identification was made by the victim, and evidence gathered by officers at the latest location where he had allegedly approached the girl further linked him to the incident, police said.
Before he was transported to the county jail, a DNA sample was taken from the suspect.. The Hudson County Prosecutor’s Special Victims Unit was notified of the incident, the KPD noted.
–Karen Zautyk
