By: Najla Alexander
Authorities in Hudson County announced that on Wednesday, April 1, the United States Marshals Service New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force arrested a 35-year-old man in connection with the 2020 death of Crystal Ojeda in Bayonne.
Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez stated Erick Acosta, of Bayonne, is charged with Murder, Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose, Unlawful Possession of a Weapon, and Tampering with Evidence.
Officials said he was taken into custody at Newark Liberty International Airport and is being held at the Hudson County Correctional Facility pending his first court appearance.
Colombian authorities arrested Acosta on October 22, 2022, pursuant to a U.S. provisional arrest request, officials say.
According to officials, on April 10, 2024, Acosta was subsequently extradited from Colombia to the United States.
Officials stated on October 9, 2020, shortly before 1 p.m., members of the Bayonne Police Department responded to 30 Lord Avenue to perform a welfare check on a resident.
Upon arrival, authorities say, responding officers found an unresponsive female victim with visible trauma.
Officials stated the victim, later identified as Crystal Ojeda, 40, of Bayonne, was pronounced dead at approximately 1:55 p.m.
The Regional Medical Examiner’s Office determined the Cause of Death to be Blunt Force Trauma to the Head and Body and the Manner of Death to be Homicide, officials said.