Controversial Liberty State Park bill advances through state committees

June 23, 2022

New,Jersey,-,Liberty,State,Park,,United,States,Of,America — Liberty State Park has been caught in a battle for years over potential privatization. Editorial credit: ms_pics_and_more / Shutterstock.com.

A controversial bill for Liberty State Park that critics have warned will open the park to privatization advanced through two state legislative committees within the span of a week, putting it closer to being fully voted on by lawmakers in Trenton.

The bill, titled the Liberty State Park Conservation, Recreation, and Community Inclusion Act, would put up $250 million to permanently create a task force to create short-term actions and a long-term master plan for the park.

The short-term actions would look to improve public use and the “enjoyment” of conservation and recreation areas, while the long-term master plan would be for improvements for park facilities, programs and amenities, and new transportation and mobility services to the park.

However, the bill has been criticized by environmental activists for allowing the park be privatized, such as language in it that says that revenue has to be generated by the park, and that there is no protections from such privatization in it.

The bill has also been accused of being orchestrated by Paul Fireman, the billionaire who owns the nearby Liberty National Golf Course and had sought to privatize Caven Point for it.

On June 16, the state Senate version of the bill, introduced by state Senator Brian Stack, unanimously advanced through the Senate’s Energy and Environment committee, along with amendments such as one that removed a requirement for the park’s master plan to generate revenue.

A week later on June 22, the Assembly version of the bill, sponsored by Hudson County Assembly members Angela McKnight, William Sampson and Annette Chaparro, also unanimously advanced through the Assembly’s State and Local Government committee, but did not have any amendments added.

After the Assembly version cleared the committee, McKnight, Sampson and Chaparro said in a joint statement that the park “must continue to be preserved and enriched as a national treasure for the enjoyment of generations to come.”

“The park offers an abundance of beautiful views and free, recreational areas for everyone to enjoy,” they said. “Families love making memories in Liberty State Park. We must plan for its future is in place to ensure it’s around for the next generation.”

While some critics agreed in some parts that there should be some recreational opportunities in the park, they pushed back against large-scale developments and advocated for legislation that would protect the park from privatization, as well as protections for Caven Point.

But state Senator Bob Smith, who chairs the Senate Energy and Environment committee, told New Jersey Monitor that he would not advance a bill supported by advocates that would protect the park from privatization. Assemblyman Anthony Verrelli, who chairs the Assembly State and Local Government committee, also told the Monitor that he doesn’t know if he’ll move on it.

For updates on this and other stories, check hudsonreporter.com and follow us on Twitter @hudson_reporter. Mark Koosau can be reached at [email protected] or his Twitter @snivyTsutarja.

Weehawken summer programs have something for everyone

Hudson Reporter

June 23, 2022

06weerecreation30 — Residents enjoy a concert in Hamilton Park, sponsored by Mayor Richard Turner and the Township Council. File photo.

Weehawken is planning for a summer full of recreation opportunities, according to Mayor Richard Turner. In an interview with the Hudson Reporter, Turner outlined the opportunities that will be available to residents in the upcoming months.

“We just wrapped up planning our summer programs,” Turner said. “We’ll be making the announcement sometime this week.”

While a full list of programs has not been announced by the township yet, Turner gave a brief rundown of some of the summer offerings in Weehawken. He started with programs geared toward youth.

“At different times of the summer, we have baseball clinics, basketball clinics outdoors, soccer clinics,” Turner said.

Plenty of fun for kids

In addition to the sports clinics, there are also field trips throughout the summer months.

“We have about a half a dozen field trips,” Turner said. “We take six trips and anybody who wants to go to different amusement parks and beaches around the state.”

For those looking for fun closer to home, there are a range of opportunities at each of Weehawken’s parks each day.

“We have our arts and crafts,” Turner said. “Every park and playground has arts and crafts. We have arts and crafts in the morning, then games throughout the day.”

While at a park participating in arts and crafts or games, kids can also get free lunch.

“We also have the summer food program, sponsored by the state on all our parks and playgrounds,” Turner said.

Summer concerts

For adults, there is a lot to do, especially when it comes to concerts. The township hosts the Weehawken Summer Concert Series in Hamilton Park.

“Then we have our summer concerts in Hamilton Park on Boulevard East on the waterfront,” Turner said. “We have concerts uptown on Sunday nights and Thursday nights I think. Then we have the big concerts on the waterfront. We have a big concert series in the Lincoln Harbor Park.”

On top of the township’s concerts, there is also the concert series in Lincoln Harbor Park. Run by Bruce Sherman, the Summer Concerts on the Hudson 2022 lineup features an array of talented musicians.

And of course, there is the pool, which open to Weehawken residents only for now. In terms of the rest of the summer recreation opportunities, the township will make the information available soon on its website at weehawken-nj.us and social media pages.

“We’ll post everything,” Turner said. “It’ll go out this week with all our different activities that are available.”

For updates on this and other stories, check www.hudsonreporter.com and follow us on Twitter @hudson_reporter. Daniel Israel can be reached at [email protected].

Man killed in WNY shooting with police identified by Attorney General’s Office

Hudson Reporter

June 9, 2022

06wnyshooting16 — A WNY police vehicle responds to an unrelated call. Screenshot of footage by Demonracer Fire Photography.

The New Jersey Attorney General’s Office has identified the dead man in a fatal police-involved shooting that occurred the evening of Friday, June 3 in West New York.

The Attorney General’s Office, which is conducting the investigation, has identified the man killed by police as 32-year-old Kevin Colindres of West New York.

Officer-involved shootout

According to the preliminary investigation, uniformed officers of the West New York Police Department responded to a residence on 59th Street in West New York, at approximately 6:30 p.m. in response to a 9-1-1 call involving a domestic dispute.

During the encounter, police say Colindres fired a weapon at the officers. One officer sustained a non-fatal injury.

Two officers from the West New York Police Department discharged their service weapons, fatally wounding Colindres. Officers and emergency medical personnel rendered first aid to Colindres.

Three firearms were recovered near him, according to authorities. Colindres was pronounced deceased at Palisades Medical Center at 7:13 p.m.

This investigation is being conducted pursuant to Attorney General Directive 2019-4, which implements the statutory requirement that the Attorney General’s Office conduct the investigation of any death that occurs during an encounter with a law enforcement officer acting in the officer’s official capacity or while the decedent is in custody, and which establishes clear standards and procedures for conducting such investigations.

The investigation is ongoing and no further information is being released at this time. The officer has still not been officially identified, but the Hudson County View has identified the officer as Police Officer Samuel Molina-Urena.

After visiting the injured officer later that night, Mayor Gabriel Rodriguez said he is grateful the officer sustained no fatal injuries, was discharged and is fully recovering.

For updates on this and other stories, check www.hudsonreporter.com and follow us on Twitter @hudson_reporter. Daniel Israel can be reached at [email protected].

Secaucus hires architect for senior center project

Hudson Reporter

June 9, 2022

06secsenior16 — The Secaucus Town Council meets in person in the council chambers nearly twice each month.

Secaucus has officially designated an architect for the new senior center project in town at 101 Centre Avenue. Mayor Michael Gonnelli and the Secaucus Town Council voted unanimously to pass a resolution doing so at a meeting in late May.

The architect chosen for the gig is Clarke Caton Hintz for $440,000, the existing architect for some Secaucus contracts. According to the resolution, the Chief Financial Officer determined sufficient grants funds were available to award the contract.

The plans are necessary before any construction can begin. Meanwhile, demolition of the old senior center and environmental remediation of the site is complete.

New senior center needed

In August of 2021, the Secaucus Town Council voted unanimously to adopt a bond ordinance to cover the cost of the new senior center totaling $7,818,670. While the bond will foot most of the bill, the town has received a number of grants and is using other monies to supplement the project such as from town reserves.

The move came after the town realized that oil tanks underneath the old center had been leaking for a number of years. Environmental remediation work needed to be done at the three buildings that composed the old center, but because some of the contamination leached under the foundation, officials said it was cheaper to start from scratch then to remediate the existing center. The old center was demolished before contaminated soil that was formerly beneath the building was removed.

Now plans are in the works for the new center. While the new building will primarily serve as a senior center during the day time, for the rest of the day and evening the facility will serve as a community center for residents to hold events and meetings. When the new senior center opens, it will be larger and more accessible to the handicapped. Amid the ongoing construction, the community center on Front Street is functioning as a makeshift senior center.

Project design coming along

In a interview after the passage of the resolution, Town Administrator Gary Jeffas gave an update as to the status of the project which has been in the design phase since at least the beginning of this year.

“The architect was already our architect for professional service contracts that are awarded every year,” Jeffas told the Hudson Reporter. “But since this is a specific project for the senior center, we got their proposal. And we approved a resolution so that all of their services under that proposal are billed to the senior center.”

Jeffas said the architect has already been working on the project, but now have been officially designated as such and will be billed specifically for their work on this project. He added that the architect has gotten to the schematic phase of the design, which he believes is the second of three phases.

“Now we’ll have to look at it, review it, and then it would go into the third phase of architectural design,” Jeffas said. “That is like the final details, when they’re getting down to the nitty gritty. That’s the electrical, the plumbing, the beams.”

Next phase in 2023?

The third phase may take some time to complete. However, by this time next year Jeffas expects the town to be going out to bid for a construction contractor.

“I think their estimation is towards the early winter time of this year to be done,” Jeffas said. “So hopefully we can bid the project in Spring of 2023.”

For updates on this and other stories, check www.hudsonreporter.com and follow us on Twitter @hudson_reporter. Daniel Israel can be reached at [email protected].

Secaucus ordinance would update police fees for extra-duty service

Hudson Reporter

June 7, 2022

06secfees16 — The Secaucus Police Department recommended the changes to extra-duty service fees.

Mayor Michael Gonnelli and the Secaucus Town Council introduced an ordinance at the council’s May 24 meeting updating police fees for extra-duty service.

Extra-duty employment includes police related employment not performed during regular duty hours. The extra-duty service is conditioned on the actual or potential use of law enforcement powers by a police officer, including but not limited to, traffic details and side jobs paid through the Secaucus Police Department.

Under the proposed ordinance, the current fees for extra-duty employment services provided by the Secaucus Police Department would be kept on file in the Town Clerk’s Office. The fee for extra-duty employment shall be paid by the person or entity requesting the services and an itemized invoice shall be provided by the Department.

The ordinance also allows for the establishment of fees for records and documents. After the meeting, Town Administrator Gary Jeffas described the introduced ordinance in an interview with the Hudson Reporter. Jeffas said was spurred by interactions between the town’s police department and PSE&G.

“When PSE&G does a job, they pay our police back for the time that they spend having their cars on the site and protecting the traffic,” Jeffas said. “So we’re allowed to have an administrative fee. And PSE&G essentially said: ‘If your administrative fee is from an outside company that you’ve hired, we’re not paying that company fee. You can’t pass that through to us, but if your municipal employees do the work, you can pass their administrative fee on.'”

According to Jeffas, Secaucus did not fall under the aforementioned scenario, but wanted to make that clear to PSE&G.

“Our employees do it, and always have,” Jeffas said. “So we’re just passing a resolution to kind of make that clear to PSE&G, that if they’re getting billing from Secaucus, that’s all in house being performed. Because they don’t want an outside agency having exorbitant fees and just people passing it off to them.”

This ordinance, along with two others regarding licenses for both vaping and food establishments, will be up for a public hearing and final passage at the next council meeting on June 28. For more information, go to secaucusnj.gov and click on the link on the calendar webpage.

For updates on this and other stories, check www.hudsonreporter.com and follow us on Twitter @hudson_reporter. Daniel Israel can be reached at [email protected].

North Bergen to allow overnight residential permit parking in Braddock Park

Hudson Reporter

June 3, 2022

06nbBoC09 — Cars seen parking on Boulevard East in Braddock Park outside the North Bergen pre-school. Image via Google Maps.

North Bergen has altered parking regulations in and around James J. Braddock North Hudson County Park.

The township previously adopted an ordinance regulating parking permits and courtesy parking permits. Based on a recommendation from the North Bergen Parking Authority, there is a need to amend the times parking permits are required in Braddock Park, as well as clarify that violations of courtesy parking requirements in the township is prohibited.

As such, Mayor Nicholas Sacco and the Board of Commissioners have adopted an ordinance doing so.

Per the ordinance, all streets in the park will now allow permit parking from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m., seven days a week. This applies only to residential permits and includes Boulevard East, Park Drive, Park Drive North, and Park Drive South.

From 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., three hour courtesy parking is allowed, now able to be enforced by the township. Parking in excess of the aforementioned provisions is considered a violation.

North Bergen Parking Authority Executive Director Robert Basilice explained the changes at the May 25 meeting.

“We are implementing inside the park, a couple of ordinances,” Basilice said. “One being the Parking Authority being able to enforce the three-hour limit in the park that the county imposes on people that are in the park. Another is residential parking, which the mayor, commissioners, and commissioner [Anthony] Vainieri were able to get the park to be used by residents overnight, as long as they have residential parking permits. So they’re able to park in the park now.“

Sacco added: “We have parking pretty much everywhere in the park.”

Street sweeping schedule altered

The township has also previously adopted and amended ordinances prohibiting parking on portions of specified streets at specified times for street sweeping. This ordinances amends previous ordinances to add the streets in Braddock Park.

Street sweeping will occur on all streets within the park, on the west and south sides of the streets on Mondays from 8 to 10 a.m. by the county. Street sweeping will occur on the same streets but on the east and north sides on Thursdays from 8 to 10 a.m. This will be suspended on state and federal legal holidays.

“From eight to ten is the county sweeping in the park,” Basilice said. “Outside the park is where we are sweeping, and we’re going to be changing the hours along Boulevard East to be later.”

Basilice noted the street sweeping changes on streets outside the park would be made later at another date date, likely changing the time to be 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. or 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the future. He noted coordination was ongoing with the county to ensure that parking for the pre-school in Braddock Park is unaffected on Boulevard East.

“We coordinated with the county, because when we do the sweeper outside, the people that are outside have to find parking somewhere else,” Basilice said. “So we want them to park inside the park. Then on the days that there isn’t parking inside due to street sweeping, they have to be able to park somewhere outside. We’re trying to coordinate it so that whenever there is street sweeping, whether it’s the county or us, our residents have somewhere to park.”

Sacco said the times can change for the sweeping depending on how things go, to which Basilice agreed.

“The two places that may be affected are Riverview North and South,” Basilice said. “If those two areas are affected, we can always adjust enforcement around there.”

For updates on this and other stories, check www.hudsonreporter.com and follow us on Twitter @hudson_reporter. Daniel Israel can be reached at [email protected].

‘Serene Saturday’ in Secaucus

Hudson Reporter

June 3, 2022

06secstreet09-01 — The street was renamed after Rev. Dada Vaswani.

Secaucus has recently renamed a road to honor a late local faith leader.

In May, Mayor Gonnelli accompanied by Councilman Bill McKeever, Councilwoman Orietta Tringali, Didi Krishna Kumari and several residents gathered to rename the driveway leading to the Secaucus Animal Shelter. A tour of the animal shelter took place prior to the unveiling.

The street was dedicated to the late Rev. Dada Vaswani of the Sadhu Vaswani Mission, an avid animal lover who has been an activist for the animal rights for decades. Vaswani has also long supported the humane treatment of animals at the Secaucus shelter, making the street renaming fitting.

Gonnelli and Kumari led the street renaming and street sign unveiling ceremony. A psalm was sang prior to the unveiling, with pictures of Vaswani accompanying the song. Additionally, a coconut was broken on a fence post adjacent to the street sign as a ceremonial offering.

The street is now known as Rev. Dada Vaswani Way. That sign is blue, his favorite color. A hymn was sung following the unveiling. Then a ribbon to open the road was cut.

Members of the Sadhu Vaswani Mission sing amid the sign unveiling for the late Rev. Dada Vaswani.

This was followed by another sign unveiling. This one is green, the typical street sign color. Another hymn was sung following this unveiling.

Afterwards, Mayor Michael Gonnelli, spoke briefly. He noted the Secaucus Town Council would soon pass a resolution to rename the street.

Gonnelli said: “I don’t know what to say. This is a wonderful day. It is wonderful for all us. I pray for Dada every day of the year.”

“It’s a great day,” McKeever said. “It’s great to see everyone come out. It’s a great honor to have this in Secaucus.”

Mayor Michael Gonnelli praised the late faith leader of the Sadhu Vaswani Mission at the street renaming in his honor.

Later in the day, those in attendance gathered for the official groundbreaking for the Joy and Peace Garden, which will be constructed on Meadowlands Parkway. Members of the Native Plant Society and the Secaucus Environmental Department planted native flowering plants to mark the official start of construction on the garden. The space will have community garden plots and a variety of plants and walking paths, of which the Sadhu Vaswani Mission has in part contributed toward its inception.

The events culminated at the Sadhu Vaswani Meditation Garden at the Recreation Center on Koelle Boulevard where children sang songs and presented recitations. The faith-filled day ended with a lunch for all who attended.

Watch the three-hour back-to-back events online at youtube.com/watch?v=rlox2Okk2_c.

For updates on this and other stories, check www.hudsonreporter.com and follow us on Twitter @hudson_reporter. Daniel Israel can be reached at [email protected].

Jersey City Council approves mailing of higher tax bills

Hudson Reporter

May 31, 2022

The approved resolution states that the tax bills must be prepared and mailed by August 1. Photo by Mark Koosau.

The Jersey City Council has unanimously passed a resolution to authorize preparation and mailing of estimated tax bills for the third quarter of this year that will reflect an increase in the estimated tax rate.

Under the resolution, the estimated tax rate will increase from 1.604 percent to 1.889 percent, which will lead to an increased levy from $635.6 million to $773.8 million. The changes reflect the increase in the Jersey City school’s district adopted budget from earlier this month.

“Basically, we have recurring expenses that are ongoing, but if we don’t have the revenues coming in to match it, we have some problems,” said Acting Chief Financial Officer Jack Scura at a May 23 caucus meeting.

The estimated tax levy will see about 45 percent of it at $352 million going to the school district. $217.8 million will be for the city, and $184.9 million is for Hudson County. For the rest of the categories, $15.1 million is for the public libraries, and $1.02 million will be for arts and culture, and open space each.

Earlier in the month, the Board of Education adopted a $973 million budget that will have a tax levy of $283.6 million. Scura said that he estimates about $85 million will be paid to the district in August to help “keep flowing” the cash.

“We used the actual Board of Education approved budget number in there because it’s known and measurable right now,” he said. “I just built in a little bit for inflation.”

Jersey City has not proposed its 2022-2023 municipal budget as of yet, but Business Administrator John Metro said that they will present it at the next council meeting, explaining that they’re waiting to hear back from FEMA reimbursements and American Rescue Plan funds.

“We’ll give it to the council at the next council meeting, and we’ll also send it to the state so they can start doing their approval process,” he said. “Then we’ll start scheduling all of our budget hearings within the next two-to-three weeks.”

The tax collector will need to prepare and mail the tax bills by August 1.

For updates on this and other stories, check hudsonreporter.com and follow us on Twitter @hudson_reporter. Mark Koosau can be reached at [email protected] or his Twitter @snivyTsutarja.

Embiggen! Jersey City gets ready for Ms. Marvel

Hudson Reporter

May 26, 2022

Holly Smith and a number of students from McNair formed the Coles Kamala Korps as a club for Ms. Marvel. Photo by Mark Koosau.

Jersey City is known by many for a lot of things: one of the most diverse cities in the country, the (debatable) sixth borough of New York City, the heart of Hudson County politics for many, and so forth.

But for some high school students and others, it’s the home of the city’s own superhero, Kamala Khan, aka Ms. Marvel, a Marvel superhero which they take great pride in.

“When I first heard about Ms. Marvel being this brown teenage girl, I thought it was really cool that we’re finally represented,” said Shreeya Shankerdas, a freshman at McNair Academic High School.

Shreeya and other students at McNair are part of a club called the Coles Kamala Korps, named after the school that Kamala goes to. “On top of that, we were represented in the Marvel Universe, and I thought that was really cool, because it’s a big company,” continued Shreeya.

They and the teacher that oversees the club, Holly Smith, have been longtime fans of Ms. Marvel, and they couldn’t be more excited for the debut of the Ms. Marvel TV show, the upcoming entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe that will be premiering on Disney+ in June.

Jersey City’s own hero

Kamala Khan is a Marvel superhero who was introduced in 2013, with the original comic book series being launched in 2014 by G. Willow Wilson, a New Jersey native, and drawn by Adrian Alphona.

In the comics, Kamala gets superpowers that allows her to shapeshift, and going by moniker of Ms. Marvel, she fight crimes in her home of Jersey City, all while balancing her life such as school, her family, and her identity as a Pakistani American and a Muslim American.

Since then, she’s become well-known and popular in the superhero fandom, and eventually a television series was announced for the MCU, with Iman Vellani starring as Kamala.

Kamala Khan first debuted in the comics in 2014 and is one of the most popular superheroes in the Marvel franchise. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios.

The students in the club got interested in Ms. Marvel in part from their shared backgrounds, both identity-wise and the school that they go to, with Coles Academic High School, the school that Kamala goes to, being loosely based on McNair.

“I was introduced to Ms. Marvel, when I was in eighth grade,” said Pariza Hassan, a junior who’s Pakistani American. “My teacher had the whole series in her library, so I was able to read through it, and I found out it was about my future high school.”

Many said that they can relate to the experiences that Kamala goes through. For Ayush Patel, a junior, what stuck out to him was the teenage perspective in an urban environment, similar to Spider-Man.

“We never really had to go through how religion can affect your perspective on what you do, right?” he said. “A lot of times of the comics, they showed that she had a big strain between who she was a superhero and who she was as person.”

The other part that he relates to is the the academic factor, especially when it comes to McNair, which is considered one of the most prestigious schools in Jersey City.

Councilman Yousef Saleh said that the Ms. Marvel show will be an important moment in representation for the Muslim community. Photo by Mark Koosau.

“It’s time[s] like that we’re just like ‘how would a superhero have time to go out and do anything, when you just have to stay in and read your books or understand your graphs or things like that?'” he said.

Smith, who’s also an alumni of McNair, said that the creation of the club was in concept for a long time, and that they launched it this year to build hype for the upcoming show.

“We’ve always done Kamala stuff, but the idea of a formal group that was actually planning things was newer,” she said. “Kind of in response to not just the show coming out, but also The Marvels is coming out next July,” referencing the upcoming movie where Kamala will also star in.

Representation matters

Since her introduction into the Marvel Universe, Ms. Marvel has been praised for the positive representation she brings for the Muslim American community.

Councilman Yousef Saleh, who’s Muslim American and another McNair alumni, said that the upcoming show is a critical point in TV culture. “We’re not really used to seeing people that are portrayed as heroes in any film,” he said. “Usually we’re portrayed as the bad guys.”

Saleh added that since 9/11, he felt that it was incumbent to himself to show that Muslims are members of the community and that are doing the best for community service, and for himself, he wanted to be the best representation by entering politics.

Kamala Khan has been praised for the positive representation she brings for the Muslim communities. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios.

Pariza also said that she enjoys how a Pakistani character is represented on a big scale compared to other media, as well as how Muslim characters are portrayed.

“It can either be like, ‘Oh, the girls oppressed. Oh, the girls dealing with this issues’,” she said. “I really enjoyed seeing this new perspective on a Muslim character in a positive manner, especially from such a big company.”

With the days counting down before the premiere, the club is ready to spread awareness about Ms. Marvel and see how the show turns out. “I’m just really waiting to get the entire community at McNair and tell them ‘Look at this!'” said Barbara Gochis, a sophomore. “We want them to know about her because it’s important.”

“I’m excited that there’s going to be a Marvel superhero that is a Muslim woman that’s going to inspire the next generation,” said Saleh. “It’s about time”

Ms. Marvel will debut on Disney+ on June 8.

For updates on this and other stories, check hudsonreporter.com and follow us on Twitter @hudson_reporter. Mark Koosau can be reached at [email protected] or his Twitter @snivyTsutarja.

Union City man charged for recording woman in her home without consent

Hudson Reporter

May 25, 2022

06uccharges02 — Mario Lopez Esquit, image via Prosecutor's Office.

On Tuesday, May 24, members of the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit filed charges against a Union City man for recording a woman inside of her home without her consent.

24-year-old Mario Lopez Esquit is charged with one count of Invasion of Privacy, a crime of the third degree.

He was processed at the Hudson County Correctional Facility where he is currently being detained on other charges.

Lopez Esquit is scheduled to make his first court appearance on the latest charge on May 25.

The Prosecutor’s Office has also filed a motion for detention which is tentatively scheduled to be heard on Tuesday, May 31.

Lopez Esquit was previously arrested on January 18, of this year for possession and distribution of child sexual abuse material.

Prosecutor Suarez credited the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit, the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, the New Jersey State Police, and the Union City Police Department with the investigation.

The above charges are merely accusations and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

For updates on this and other stories, check www.hudsonreporter.com and follow us on Twitter @hudson_reporter. Daniel Israel can be reached at [email protected].