Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and Passaic Police Chief Luis A. Guzman announce the arrest of Ricardo Palma, 31 years old, from Passaic. Mr. Palma was arrested on March 2, after an investigation conducted by the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit and the Passaic Police Department.
According to county officials, Mr. Palma is charged with two counts of second-degree Sexual Assault, three counts of second-degree Endangering the Welfare of a Child, two counts of third-degree Aggravated Criminal Sexual Contact, and one count of fourth-degree Criminal Sexual Contact.
According to police, on October 20, 2020, the Passaic Police Department responded to a residence in Passaic, in a separate investigation.
During that investigation, detectives from the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit identified and interviewed three child victims that reported being touched sexually by Mr. Palma between the dates of April 2008 through September 2019.
The Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office has filed a motion for pretrial detention and is asking that Mr. Palma be detained in the Passaic County Jail pending the resolution of the case. The detention motion will be scheduled before a Superior Court Judge within the week.
The Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office asks anyone with additional information about this incident or other incidents regarding this individual to contact them on their tips line at 1-877-370-PCPO or contact the Passaic Police Department at (973) 365-3900.