|
Josue E. Catalan |
Luis Rosas |
Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella announced the arrests of 19-year-old JOSUE E. CATALAN of Cliffside Park, NJ on charges of sexual assault and endangering the welfare of a child; and 20-year-old LUIS ROSAS of Ridgefield, NJ on charges of sexual assault, criminal sexual contact, and endangering the welfare of a child. The arrests were the result of an investigation conducted by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Chief Matthew Finck; the Cliffside Park Police Department, under the direction of Chief Yakup Zoklu; the Fairview Police Department, under the direction of Chief Vincent Bellucci; and the Ridgefield Police Department, under the direction of Chief Thomas J. Gallagher.
On Sunday, April 27, 2025, the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit initiated an investigation into the alleged sexual assault of a child under the age of sixteen that occurred on multiple occasions and in different towns within Bergen County, NJ. During the course of the investigation, detectives identified two suspects, both of whom engaged in sexual activity with the child. Accordingly, a joint investigation by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, the Cliffside Park Police Department, the Fairview Police Department, and the Ridgefield Police Department revealed that JOSUE E. CATALAN sexually assaulted the victim on three separate occasions in Cliffside Park over the past eleven months. Moreover, detectives determined that LUIS ROSAS sexually assaulted and endangered the victim in Ridgefield, NJ on April 24, 2025, as well as another prior occasion in late 2024.
As a result of the investigation, on Monday, April 28, 2025, LUIS ROSAS was arrested in Ridgefield, NJ and charged with six counts of second-degree sexual assault, N.J.S.A. 2C:14-2c(4); two counts of third-degree endangering the welfare of a child, N.J.S.A. 2C:24-4a(1); and one count of fourth-degree criminal sexual contact, N.J.S.A. 2C:14-3b. ROSAS was remanded to the Bergen County Jail, made a first appearance in Bergen County Superior Court in Hackensack, NJ, and was ordered released pending further court action.
On Tuesday, April 29, 2025, JOSUE E. CATALAN was arrested in Cliffside Park, NJ and charged with three counts of second-degree sexual assault, N.J.S.A. 2C:14-2c(4); and one count of third-degree endangering the welfare of a child, N.J.S.A. 2C:24-4a(1). CATALAN was remanded to the Bergen County Jail, made a first appearance in Bergen County Superior Court in Hackensack, NJ, and was ordered released pending further court action.
Prosecutor Mark Musella states that the charges are merely accusations, and that both defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Prosecutor Musella would like to thank the Cliffside Park Police Department, Fairview Police Department, and Ridgefield Police Department for their assistance in this investigation.
