North Bergen Man Charged With Kidnapping & Sexually Assaulting Juvenile

The Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit has arrested 43-year old, North Bergen resident Jesus Ruiz Merino after investigating a report of a juvenile who was sexually assaulted by an unknown male in Secaucus.

According to Acting Hudson County Prosecutor Wayne Mello, Merino is charged with Kidnapping, a crime of the first degree; two counts of Aggravated Sexual Assault, crimes of the first degree; Sexual Assault, a crime of the second degree; and Endangering the Welfare of a Child, a crime of the third degree.  Merino was arrested at his residence on Thursday, October 16, 2025, and transported to the Hudson County Correctional Center pending his first court appearance.

A press release from the Prosecutor’s Office states, “On Monday, October 13, 2025, the Secaucus Police Department was notified of a sexual assault that occurred at a motel on Route 3.  The 14-year-old female victim reported she was approached by an unknown male in the area of 60th Street and Bergenline Avenue in West New York. The defendant offered the juvenile a ride, and then drove to the motel where the victim was sexually assaulted.”

Acting Prosecutor Mello credited the Special Victims Unit, the Secaucus Police Department, and the West New York Police Department with the investigation and arrest.  The charges Merino is facing are merely accusations and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.