NEW JERSEY
The Record
THURSDAY, JULY 25, 2013
BY ABBOTT KOLOFF
STAFF WRITER
THE RECORD
PASSAIC — A priest assigned to St. Mary’s Assumption Church has been arrested on charges related to the sexual abuse of a 14-year-old girl, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes said Thursday.
The Rev. Jose Lopez allegedly asked the girl to come to his private living quarters in January to talk about some problems she was having, but then put her on his lap, began kissing her, and engaged in sexual contact with her, Valdes said in a statement.
The girl was able to escape when the priest fell to the floor during a struggle, according to Valdes. The priest had pulled the girl back several times when she tried to get up before he finally fell, Valdes said.
The priest, who also is affiliated with St. Nicholas Church in the city, has been charged with second-degree luring of a child, third-degree endangering the welfare of a child, and fourth-degree criminal sexual contact. His bail was set at $50,000 in Passaic municipal court.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.