An 18-year-old Hackensack man is facing seven felony counts after Bergen County authorities say he sexually assaulted a girl under 15 on three separate occasions in Bogota. Jefferson M. Lucero Tapia was arrested on October 6 and later released pending further court action, even as he confronts charges that could carry decades behind bars if he's convicted.
Investigation Moved Quickly After Bogota Police Tip
The case came together fast. According to the NJ.com report, the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office said its investigation began on October 2, just four days before Lucero Tapia's arrest, after the Bogota Police Department reached out to the office's Special Victims Unit about an alleged sexual assault. Investigators determined that Lucero Tapia, who lives in neighboring Hackensack, had sexually assaulted the female victim, who was under 15, on three separate occasions in Bogota.
Hackensack and Bogota sit directly across the Hackensack River from one another in Bergen County, placing the suspect's home squarely within the immediate area of the alleged incidents, per the Hackensack Transit Oriented Development Report. The joint probe was led jointly by the Bogota Police Department and the county's Special Victims Unit, the same model the prosecutor's office has used in other recent Bergen County cases, including its investigation into a Wyckoff man who surrendered after a 14-month probe.
Charges Carry Mandatory Prison Time Under State Law
Lucero Tapia was charged with three counts of second-degree sexual assault, two additional counts of second-degree sexual assault, and two counts of third-degree endangering the welfare of a child, the station's report states. Under New Jersey's statutory framework, second-degree sexual assault covers sexual penetration of a victim who is at least 13 but under 16 when the actor is at least four years older, according to the Passaic County Criminal Lawyers. A separate provision, N.J.S.A. 2C:14-2b, applies specifically to sexual contact with victims under 13 when the actor is at least four years older.
If convicted, Lucero Tapia would face a mandatory five to 10 years in state prison per second-degree count, along with fines of up to $150,000, according to the Ibrahim & Ibrahim Law Firm. The two third-degree child endangerment counts each carry three to five years in prison and fines of up to $15,000, per the Law Office of Tara Breslow. Because second-degree sexual assault falls under New Jersey's No Early Release Act, any prison sentence imposed would require Lucero Tapia to serve at least 85 percent of it before becoming parole-eligible, according to the Law Offices of Jonathan F. Marshall.
Why the Teen Was Released Without Bail
Despite facing seven felony counts, Lucero Tapia was remanded to Bergen County Jail, made a first appearance in Bergen County Superior Court, and was subsequently released pending further court action, per the same account from NJ.com. That outcome traces back to New Jersey's elimination of cash bail. Under the state's Pretrial Reform Act, Superior Court judges now use a risk-assessment tool at a detention hearing to decide whether a defendant should be held or released with monitoring conditions, rather than setting a monetary bail amount, according to the Monmouth County Criminal Defense Lawyers.
A conviction for second-degree sexual assault requires lifetime registration under Megan's Law; child-endangerment convictions may require registration in certain circumstances, and registration may be removed.
Part of a Broader Pattern of SVU Cases
The investigation was conducted under the direction of Chief Jeff Angermeyer of the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office and Chief Daniel Maye of the Bogota Police Department. The prosecutor's Special Victims Unit co-leads sexual assault, domestic violence, and child abuse investigations across all 70 of Bergen County's municipalities.
Bergen County has seen a string of similar cases this year. In September, Hoodline reported on a Kearny man accused of sexually touching a child. New Jersey law requires anyone with reasonable cause to believe a child has been sexually abused to report it immediately to state child protection authorities, a mandate that governs how cases like this one first reach county investigators.
No further court dates were disclosed in the prosecutor's announcement, and the case against Lucero Tapia remains pending.
