Hudson County Prosecutor Wayne Mello reports that a Hudson County employee has been charged with sexually assaulting a female juvenile in Jersey City.
On Thursday, February 19, 2026, members of the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit arrested Woodbridge resident Tejas Patel, age 46, on sex crimes involving a juvenile. He is charged with Sexual Assault, a crime of the second degree and Endangering the Welfare of a Child, a crime of the third degree. Patel was arrested at the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office in Secaucus and transported to the Hudson County Correctional Facility in Kearny pending his first court appearance.
The crimes occurred in Jersey City on various dates in 2024 when the victim was 15 years old. The defendant met the juvenile victim through the social media platform Snapchat. The defendant is employed with the Hudson County Department of Family Services.
Prosecutor Mello credited the Special Victims Unit with the investigation and arrest. Anyone wishing to report a sex crime should call the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit (SVU) at 201-915-1234. The above charges are merely accusations and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.