2 Englewood Men Charged Separately In Sexual Assaults Of Children Under 13

ENGLEWOOD, NJ — On two separate days last week, the Bergen County Prosecutor's office announced the arrests of Englewood men for separate sexual assaults on minors.

Last Wednesday, Abel Garcia, 49, of Englewood was arrested on sexual assault charges.

Prosecutors said that on Friday, April 19, 2024, the Englewood Police Department contacted the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit regarding the alleged sexual assault of a juvenile that had occurred in the past.

An investigation by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office revealed that Garcia had sexually assaulted a juvenile under the age of 13 in Englewood.

On Wednesday, April 24, he was charged with two counts of second-degree sexual assault and second-degree endangering the welfare of a child.

Garcia was arrested in Englewood and taken to the Bergen County Jail to await a first appearance in Central Judicial Processing Court in Hackensack, prosecutors said.

Another Arrest

Then, on Thursday, April 25, Melvin Zacarias-Esquivel, 21, of Englewood, was arrested for aggravated sexual assault and endangering the welfare of a child, prosecutors said.

Zacarias-Equivel was already in jail at the Elizabeth Detention Center due to an unrelated matter, said the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office.

Prosecutors. said that on Tuesday, April 23, 2024, the Englewood Police Department contacted the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit regarding the alleged sexual assault of a juvenile that occurred in the past.

An investigation determibed that Zacarias-Esquivel sexually assaulted a juvenile under the age of 13 in Englewood,said the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office.

As a result of the investigation, on Thursday, April 25, 2024, Zacarias-Esquivel was charged with first-degree aggravated sexual assault and third-degree endangering the welfare of a child.

He was served with a complaint-warrant at the Elizabeth Detention Center.