On August 2, 2025, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin announced that Wayne Mello had been appointed Acting Prosecutor of Hudson County, a decision made following the retirement of Prosecutor Esther Suarez, who officially stepped down from her position on July 31, 2025. Mello had served as First Assistant Prosecutor for Hudson County since 2016, and with this appointment, he became the immediate successor to Suarez.
Attorney General Platkin stated that Mello’s experience in prosecution, leadership, and his familiarity with the institution made him a suitable candidate for the role. Platkin acknowledged Mello’s established credibility among both prosecutors and defense attorneys, as well as his attention to detail and consistent advocacy on behalf of victims, as reasons supporting the appointment. Platkin also extended appreciation to Esther Suarez for her decade of service as prosecutor, during which she focused on strengthening investigative functions, emergency response operations, and victim advocacy initiatives within the office.
- Wayne Mello was appointed Acting Hudson County Prosecutor on August 2, 2025, and officially assumed the role on July 31, 2025.
- Mello previously served as Chief Homicide Assistant Prosecutor in Bergen County, where he led the prosecutions in the Edward Ates and Stephen Scharf murder cases.
- He succeeds Esther Suarez, who served as Hudson County Prosecutor from 2015 to 2025 and retired after 25 years in public service.
Tenure of Esther Suarez and Leadership Transition
Esther Suarez, who served as Hudson County Prosecutor for ten years beginning in 2015, concluded her term after a 25-year career in public service. Before her appointment to the role of prosecutor, Suarez served as a Superior Court judge. She was the first Hispanic person to serve as Hudson County Prosecutor. Suarez was born in Bayonne and later resided in Secaucus.
Wayne Mello will now oversee a staff that includes approximately 70 assistant prosecutors and more than 100 detectives within the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office. The office is responsible for investigating and prosecuting a broad range of serious criminal matters, including but not limited to violent crime, gun-related offenses, narcotics distribution, gang activity, and cybercrime.
Legal Career in Bergen and Morris Counties
Prior to joining the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, Mello served in both the Morris County and Bergen County Prosecutor’s Offices. In Bergen County, he held the position of Chief Homicide Assistant Prosecutor and handled several cases that received significant media attention due to their severity and complexity.
One of the cases prosecuted by Mello involved the 2006 homicide in Ramsey, New Jersey, where defendant Edward Ates was charged with the fatal shooting of his former son-in-law, Paul Duncsak, on August 23, 2006. During the trial, the defense presented the argument that Ates was physically incapable of committing the crime due to obesity and related health conditions. However, the prosecution, led by Mello, introduced evidence that Ates had conducted internet searches on topics including gun silencers, lock picking, and committing murder. Furthermore, the prosecution showed that Ates had coordinated with his sister to fabricate an alibi. The jury convicted Ates of first-degree murder, and he was sentenced to life in prison, with no eligibility for parole for more than 63 years.
In another case prosecuted by Mello, the death of Jody Ann Scharf was reexamined more than a decade after it occurred. Scharf was found dead on September 20, 1992, having fallen approximately 119 feet from a cliff at the top of Palisades Interstate Park along the Hudson River in Bergen County. At the time of her death, no charges were filed, and the medical examiner classified the manner of death as “could not be determined.” In 2004, the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office initiated a full reinvestigation of the case, which revealed that Scharf’s injuries did not align with a passive fall, and instead suggested that she had been pushed from the ledge. Mello led the prosecution that resulted in a jury convicting her husband, Stephen F. Scharf, of murder, for which he was sentenced to life in prison.
Educational Background and Military Service
In addition to his prosecutorial background, Wayne Mello has a record of military service. He served in the United States Army during the Vietnam War, attaining the rank of Infantry First Lieutenant. Academically, Mello is a graduate of Saint Peter’s University in Jersey City and earned his law degree from Rutgers School of Law. He was admitted to the New Jersey Bar in 1977.
