By: Najla Alexander
On Monday, January 9, the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office Special Victims Unit arrested a Memorial High School basketball coach after being notified he entered a girls' locker room and sent inappropriate messages to three minors on social media, Hudson county authorities reported.
According to officials Ariel Alava, 41, of West New York, is charged with one count of Attempted Invasion of Privacy and three counts of Endangering the Welfare of a Child.
Authorities say he was arrested at his residence in West New York and transported to the Hudson County Correctional Facility pending his first court appearance.
A preliminary investigation determined Alava entered the girls' locker room following a game played in Jersey City on January 27, 2022, officials said.
Officials say two 15-year-old female Memorial High School students and a former 17-year-old female student also reported receiving inappropriate messages on social media from Alava on various dates between August and October.
Alava, who was employed as a Paraprofessional with the West New York Board of Education, has since been removed from his position, district officials reported.