In April 2023, a mother told Kearny police a man was attempting to engage her 15-year-old daughter in sexual activity. The man reportedly invited the child to his residence, then touched the child’s buttocks and attempted to advance the sexual nature of the interaction. Det. Frank West conducted a lengthy investigation, in which he obtained messages from the man to the child. In such messages, the adult attempted to convince her to break her celibacy and to allow him to perform cunnilingus and other acts upon her.
As Det. West gathered evidence, much of which can’t be quoted in a publication, it became clear the adult intended on engaging in sexual activity with the child. So, Det. West issued a warrant for endangering the welfare of a child and assisted the family in protecting the child’s safety. Unfortunately, the suspect did not turn up for court, and was in the wind for some time.
That is, until Lt. Jay Ward and Officer Anthony Oliveira observed him driving near Passaic Avenue and Belgrove Drive.
The pair initiated a motor vehicle stop and arrested him on the aforementioned warrant. Vincent A. Murray, 24, of Kearny, was processed and ultimately remanded to the Hudson County Jail.
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Kevin A. Canessa Jr. is the editor of and broadcaster at The Observer, an organization he has served since 2006. He is responsible for the editorial content of the newspaper and website, the production of the e-Newspaper, writing several stories per week (including the weekly editorial), conducting live broadcasts on social media channels such as YouTube, Facebook, and X, including a weekly recap of the news — and much more behind the scenes. Between 2006 and 2008, he introduced the newspaper to its first-ever blog — which included podcasts, audio and video. Originally from Jersey City, Kevin lived in Kearny until 2004, lived in Port St. Lucie. Florida, for four years until February 2016 and in March of that year, he moved back to Kearny to return to The Observer full time. Click Here to send Kevin an email.