Feds apprehend 2 wanted sex offenders – nj.com

Two wanted Essex County sex offenders were apprehended by authorities in Pennsylvania, the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office announced Saturday.

Emanuel Cortez, 31, of East Orange, and Alberto Colon, 48, of Newark, were found together in Summit Hill, Pa. at the residence of a family with two children by U.S. Marshals and Task Force Officers from Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

Cortez was released from confinement in May 2018 and had been missing from supervision since March 15, 2019. He is currently charged by way of indictment with escape, theft, and interfering with a monitoring device, according to the prosecutor’s office.

He is subject to Megan’s Law as a result of an adjudication of sexual assault in 1998 where the victim was an 8-year-old male.

Colon was released from confinement in November 2019 and has been missing from supervision since March 7, 2021. He failed to appear in court in March 2021 on an indictment charging him with failure to register as a sex offender and interfering with a monitoring device, according to the prosecutor’s office.

His previous crimes were criminal sexual contact in 1997, endangering the welfare of a child by engaging in sexual conduct in 1994, and sexual assault in 1994. His victims were girls between the ages of 11 and 14, authorities said.

Cortez and Colon are currently incarcerated at the Carbon County Jail in Nesquehoning, Pa. and will be extradited to New Jersey, upon release from any Pennsylvania or federal holds. There will be additional charges in Essex County, a release said.

“The arrest of these two offenders are a direct result of the outstanding cooperative efforts of the District of New Jersey, NY/NJ Regional Fugitive Task Force, and Middle District of Pennsylvania which demonstrate the effectiveness and impact of collaborating resources to locate and capture fugitives,” said Juan Mattos, U.S. Marshal for the District of New Jersey.

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Brianna Kudisch may be reached at bkudisch@njadvancemedia.com. Tell us your coronavirus story or send a tip here.