By: Richard L. Smith
Police officials in Newark have reported the arrests of Mr. Christopher Turner, 39, of Newark, and Ms. Melissa Barrett, 44, of Garfield, in connection with several public lewdness incidents that took place between February and August 2024.
The first reported incident occurred on the morning of February 24, 2024, at approximately 8:30 a.m. in the 200 block of Ferry Street.
Two juveniles alerted police after witnessing a man and a woman engaging in sexual activity in public. A photograph of the couple was provided to the authorities.
The second incident was reported on July 25, 2024, at 5:12 p.m. Police responded to a call in the same area, where a man with his pants down was seen having sexual intercourse with a woman in the front passenger seat of a vehicle.
The doors of the vehicle were open, exposing the pair. The description of the suspects and the vehicle matched those from the February incident.
A third incident was reported on August 5, 2024, at approximately 9:25 a.m.
Police again responded to the 200 block of Ferry Street, where a male and female, both known to frequent the area, were seen engaging in sexual activity in a public parking lot.
The man had parked a red Nissan Murano, opened the vehicle doors, and met the woman before the two engaged in intercourse outside the vehicle.
Following an investigation, detectives obtained warrants for the arrests of Turner and Barrett. Both suspects are facing six counts of public lewdness and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child.
Authorities are continuing to investigate the incidents and encourage anyone with additional information to come forward.