Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella announced the arrest of Angel A.
Bernard, 72, of Garfield on charges of Attempted Aggravated Sexual Assault, Attempted Sexual Assault, Luring, and Attempted Endangering The Welfare Of A Child.
The arrest is the result of a joint investigation conducted by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office and the Garfield Police Department.
According to officials, on Wednesday, November 5, the Garfield Police Department contacted the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office regarding an allegation that a juvenile victim, under the age of 13, was communicating with Bernard via smartphone text messaging and phone conversation, and those discussions included sexual dialogue.
An investigation by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit and the Cyber Crimes Unit revealed that during such conversations, Bernard attempted to make arrangements to meet the juvenile on several occasions in/around Garfield to engage in sexual activity.
According to the investigation, on Monday, November 9, Bernard was arrested without incident after arriving at a local park in Garfield where he was attempting to meet with the juvenile to engage in sexual activity.
Police report that Bernard was charged with one count of Attempted Aggravated Sexual Assault, one count of Attempted Sexual Assault, one count of Luring, and one count of Attempted Endangering the Welfare of a Child.
He was remanded to the Bergen County Jail pending a first appearance in Central Judicial Processing Court in Hackensack.
Prosecutor Musella states that the charges are merely accusations and that the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.