FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:  Raymond Worrall

PHONE: (201) 320-3550

EMAIL:  rworrall@hcpo.org

DATE: August 20, 2021

NORTH BERGEN MAN ARRESTED AND CHARGED WITH AGGRAVATED SEXUAL ASSAULT

Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez has released the following information:

On Wednesday, August 18, 2021, at approximately 6:00 a.m., members of the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit arrested Christopher Graham, age 46, of North Bergen, on charges involving the sexual assault of an 18-year-old female victim from Jersey City at a hotel located at 2600 Tonnelle Avenue in North Bergen.

On August 15, 2021, members of the SVU were notified by the North Bergen Police Department of an alleged sexual assault that occurred at the Days Hotel after the victim met the man in Jersey City where he offered to help the victim by giving her a ride home. Graham was subsequently identified and arrested following an investigation by the SVU.

Graham has been charged with one count of Aggravated Sexual Assault in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:14-2a(7), a first-degree crime and one count of Aggravated Criminal Sexual Contact in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:14-3a, a third-degree crime. The investigation is ongoing and additional charges may be filed.

Following his arrest, Graham was transported to the Hudson County Correctional Facility in Kearny pending his first appearance. The Prosecutor’s Office has filed a motion for pretrial detention of the defendant. A hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, August 24, 2021.

Prosecutor Suarez credited the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit with the investigation and arrest, the North Bergen Police Department with assisting in the investigation and the Hudson County Regional SWAT Unit with assisting in the arrest.

Anyone wishing to report a sex crime should call the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit at 201-915-1234.

The above charges are merely accusations and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty. R.P.C.3.6 (b)(6)