Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez said Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit has charged a Newark Police Officer with a sex crime against a female Uber driver.
Officer Karon Bell, 23, of Newark, was charged with one count of Criminal Sexual Contact, a crime of the fourth degree.
Prosecutor Suarez said Bell was arrested by the Newark Police Department Office of Professional Standards on Friday and then taken into custody by the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit.
Bell was released on a summons and is scheduled to make his first court appearance on Friday, February 25, 2022.
According to Prosecutor Suarez, on Saturday, December 11, 2021, a 36-year-old woman reported to the Kearny Police Department that she was the victim of a sex crime while working as an Uber driver.
The victim told police she had never met the suspect before and identified himself as a Police Officer.
An investigation by the Special Victims Unit identified Bell, who off-duty at the time, as the suspect wanted in connection with the incident.
Prosecutor Suarez credited the Special Victims Unit with the investigation and thanked the Kearny Police Department and Newark Police Department for their assistance.
Anyone wishing to report a sex crime should call the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office Special Victims Unit (SVU) at 201-915-1234.