MOONACHIE, NJ – Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella announced the arrest of JOHN CRUZ-AYALA (DOB: 6/24/1971; married; surveyor) of Moonachie, NJ on charges of aggravated sexual assault, sexual assault by contact, endangering the welfare of a child, and aggravated criminal sexual contact. The arrest is the result of an investigation conducted by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office under the direction of Chief Jason Love and the New Milford Police Department under the direction of Chief Brian Clancy.
On Friday, December 10, 2021, the New Milford Police Department contacted the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit regarding the alleged sexual assault of a child. An investigation by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office and the New Milford Police Department revealed that JOHN CRUZ-AYALA sexually assaulted the child on multiple occasions.
As a result of the investigation, on Monday, December 13, 2021, JOHN CRUZ-AYALA was arrested in Moonachie, NJ, and charged with first-degree aggravated sexual assault, N.J.S.A. 2C:14-2a(1); second-degree sexual assault by contact, N.J.S.A. 2C:14-2b; second-degree endangering the welfare of a child, N.J.S.A. 2C:24-4a(1); and third-degree aggravated criminal sexual contact, N.J.S.A. 2C:14-3a. CRUZ-AYALA was remanded to the Bergen County Jail pending his first appearance in Central Judicial Processing Court in Hackensack, NJ.
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, and he would like to thank the New Milford Police Department for its assistance in this investigation.