Retired Hudson County Jail Guard Charged With Molesting Girl

SECAUCUS, NJ — A retired guard at the Hudson County jail has been arrested and charged with molesting a young girl, and having child sex abuse videos on his cell phone.

The guard is Samuel Santiago, 54, who does not currently work at the Hudson County jail. He lives in Carteret. His LinkedIn profile shows that he currently works as a ramp agent for United Airlines in Newark.

He worked at the Hudson County Jail for 25 years, from 1990 to 2015.

He was arrested June 30 as part of this sweep conducted by the state Attorney General of men approaching and grooming teens and children online.

Police say Santiago assaulted an underage girl by touching her genitals both over and under her clothing. After he was arrested, investigators discovered that he allegedly had numerous videos of child sexual abuse material on his cell phone, said the Attorney General.

Santiago was charged with impairing or debauching the morals of a child, a third-degree crime, possession of child sex abuse materials (in the third degree) and criminal sexual contact (in the fourth degree).

The Hudson County Jail is located in Kearny.

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