By: Richard L. Smith
Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes, Paterson Police Department Officer-In-Charge Isa Abbassi, and United States Marshal Juan Mattos have announced the arrest of Anthony Smith, 47, from Cary, North Carolina.
Smith was apprehended without incident on June 7, 2024, by members of the United States Marshals Service following an investigation conducted by the Paterson Police Department in conjunction with the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office.
Smith is charged with second-degree Interference with Custody.
The incident began on May 28, 2024, when Paterson police were dispatched to East 27th Street and 21st Avenue in response to a custody dispute.
A Paterson resident reported that Smith, the father of her 10-month-old daughter, had failed to return the child on May 26, 2024, as required by their court-ordered visitation agreement.
After a joint investigation by the Paterson Police Department and the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office, a warrant for Smith's arrest was issued on June 5, 2024.
On June 7, 2024, Smith was apprehended by the United States Marshals Service in North Carolina.
The child was found in good health and has been reunited with her mother. Smith is pending extradition to New Jersey.
If convicted, Smith faces a sentencing range of 5 to 10 years in New Jersey State Prison for second-degree Interference with Custody.