Man Breaks Into Bergen Co. Home, Sexually Assaults Sleeping Woman At Knifepoint: Officials

LODI, NJ — A Passaic County man broke into the Bergen County home of a woman he knew, slashed her with a knife, and sexually assaulted her, prosecutors said Tuesday.

Valentino Tusha, 27, of Prospect Park, has been charged with aggravated sexual assault, home invasion burglary, and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, said the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office.

Prosecutors said that on Sunday, the Lodi Police Department reported a sexual assault to the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit.

Investigators determined that Tusha broke into the Lodi home of an acquaintance and assaulted her at knifepoint.

The complaint says that the woman was sleeping in her apartment when Tusha broke in.

He woke her up, climbed on top of her, and held a knife to her face, the complaint says. He told her to take off her clothes and then cut her cheek, according to the complaint. Then he sexually assaulted her.

He left and threw the knife into the bushes, the complaint says. The woman called 911.

The complaint classified the incident as domestic violence and said Valentino "has a history of stalking, harassment, or terroristic threats."

He was charged with two counts of first-degree aggravated sexual assault, first-degree home invasion burglary, and third-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, prosecutors said.

He was arrested later at home in Prospect Park without incident, with the help of the county SWAT Team, prosecutors said.

He was taken to the Bergen County jail to await a Superior Court hearing.