Hudson Co. Basketball Coach Accused Of Entering Girls' Locker Room: Prosecutors

HUDSON COUNTY, NJ — A high school basketball coach, accused of entering the girls' locker room and sending inappropriate messages to teens, has been charged with endangering the welfare of a child, prosecutors announced Tuesday.

Ariel Alava, a 41-year-old coach at Memorial High School in West New York, was arrested this week after investigators received reports of messages sent to three minors on social media, the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office said.

Three Memorial High School students — two 15-year-old girls and one 17 — reported receiving inappropriate messages on social media from Alava between August and October, according to prosecutors.

The coach is also accused of entering the girls’ locker room after a game in Jersey City on Jan. 27, 2022, prosecutors said.

Alava was arrested in his West New York home on multiple charges — one count of attempted invasion of privacy and three counts of endangering the welfare of a child — then taken to the Hudson County jail, prosecutors said.

The West New York coach was employed as a paraprofessional with the West New York Board of Education but has since been removed from the position with the district, prosecutors said.

Prosecutor Esther Suarez credited the Special Victims Unit with the arrest and investigation.

Anyone who wants to report a sex crime can call the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office Special Victims Unit (SVU) at 201-915-1234.