The Union County Prosecutor’s Office
32 Rahway Avenue   Elizabeth, NJ 07202
Theodore J. Romankow
Prosecutor

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 8, 2010

Contact: John Holl
(908) 527-4621 jholl@ucnj.org

Summit Man Arrested and Charged with Luring

Authorities arrested a 22-year-old Summit man on Monday afternoon after he was spotted following two teenage girls home from school, said Prosecutor Theodore J. Romankow.

Summit Police launched an investigation this past weekend after the girls reported that the man, driving a 2010 blue Honda Civic, had been following them for several days. On Monday, as the girls walked home, officers observed Jose Gerardo Mazariedo DOB: 10/6/1987 of Summit following the girls from inside his vehicle.

He was arrested and a subsequent investigation uncovered a third victim, a teenage girl that Mazariedo had sent a series of sexually explicit text messages and images.

Mazariedo was charged with one count of 2nd Degree luring and two counts of 3rd Degree distribution of pornography, said Romankow. Bail has been set at $200,000 and Mazariedo is currently being held at the Union County Jail.

This remains an active investigation and anyone with information regarding Jose Gerardo Mazariedo is asked to call Summit Police Sgt. Thomas Rich at 908-273-5871 or Detective John Padilla at 908-277-9392.

These criminal charges are mere accusations.
The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.