A 23-year-old illegal migrant remains behind bars on multiple charges after soliciting sexually explicit photos of an 11-year-old girl and then sexually assaulting her in New Jersey, authorities said.
The suspect, Adolfo A. Cruz-Garcia, from Honduras, is accused of luring the victim out of her Asbury Park, New Jersey, home and sexually assaulting her in a nearby vehicle, according to the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office.
Cruz-Garcia faces charges of aggravated sexual assault, endangering the welfare of a child, kidnapping, aggravated sexual extortion, sexual assault and a lesser endangering offense, according to a MCPO news release. He also had an immigration detainer lodged against him.
Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago announced the charges Thursday, Oct. 22, following an investigation by members of the MCPO Special Victims Bureau and the Asbury Park Police Department.
Described as “a Passaic County man” by the prosecutor, Cruz-Garcia allegedly obtained partially nude images of the 11-year-old and then threatened to share them if the girl did not leave her house to meet him.
Investigators said that after he lured the child from her home, he repeatedly sexually assaulted her in the back of his vehicle.
Cruz-Garcia, reportedly now living in Haledon, New Jersey, entered the United States illegally in 2019 when he was a teen, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said.
He also has a criminal history, including an arrest for aggravated sexual assault, NJ.com reported.
Cruz-Garcia was arrested by border patrol agents after illegally crossing the border near Hidalgo, Texas, DHS officials said. He was transferred to the custody of Office of Refugee Resettlement due to being a juvenile at the time.
According to investigators, Cruz-Garcia met the victim on social media on Friday, Oct. 2, and was aware of her age.
He allegedly “solicited photos of her in a state of undress and offered her money in exchange for the performance of sexual acts,” Santiago said.
Several hours later, Cruz-Garcia reportedly arrived at the victim’s home. He said he would share the photos with her family and friends if she did not come outside.
She agreed and got into his vehicle, where he repeatedly sexually assaulted her before dropping her back off near her home, the prosecutor’s office said.
Authorities arrested Cruz-Garcia near his home on Tuesday, Oct. 20, and booked him into the Monmouth County Correctional Institution pending a detention hearing. The State is filing a petition to keep Cruz-Garcia detained while the case against him proceeds.
