28-Year-Old Paterson Man Charged With Kidnapping, Robbing, & Sexually Gropping 2 Women Last Month
Tuesday, May 7, 2024, 7:30 A.M. ET. By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,
PATERSON, NJ.- On Monday, Passaic County Prosecutor Esther Suarez Reported, on April 29, 2024, a 28-year-old Paterson, New Jersey man was taken into custody and formally charged in connection with the April 20, 2024, and the April 23, 2024, kidnapping, robbery, and assault of two women in Paterson, New Jersey.
According to the Prosecutor's Office, Diquan West, 28, of Paterson, New Jersey was formally charged with two counts of first-degree Kidnapping; two counts of first-degree Armed Robbery; first-degree Unlawful Possession of a Weapon; two counts of second-degree Unlawful Possession of a Handgun; two counts of second-degree Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose; two counts of second-degree Certain Persons Not to Possess Weapons; three counts of third-degree Aggravated Criminal Sexual Contact; and one count of third-degree Attempted Aggravated Criminal Sexual Contact.
Following being taken into custody, West was processed on the charges and was remanded to the Passaic County Jail pending future court proceedings in Passaic County Superior Court in Paterson, New Jersey.
The charges stem from an investigation that began on April 20, 2024, when a 27-year-old woman reported to Police at just around 6:00 a.m. that she was accosted at gunpoint by an unknown man in the area of Market and East 22nd Streets in the City of Paterson. The man forced her to go to a remote area near the train tracks where he took her belongings, and then touched her intimate body parts. The man then fled the scene.
Then on April 23, 2024, another victim, a 28-year-old woman reported to the Police that shortly after 5:00 a.m., a man approached her and accosted her at gunpoint and took her belongings. The man then forced her to another area where he attempted to touch her intimate body parts before fleeing the scene.
Following a swift-moving investigation by members of the Passaic County Prosecutor's Office and the Paterson Police Department, Detectives were quickly able to identify West as the suspect and the individual who accosted the two women. As a result of the investigation, West was arrested on Monday, April 29, 2024, at the Paterson Police Department.
If convicted on all the charges and due to the nature of the offenses, West will face the potential term in New Jersey State Prison of a minimum of 30 years and a maximum of life in prison.
Anyone with additional information regarding these incidents or other incidents involving West is asked to contact the Passaic County Prosecutor's Office Tips Line at 1-877-370-PCPO or tips@passaiccountynj.org or you can contact the Paterson Police Department at (973) 321-1342. All calls will be kept confidential.
"The rules of the court requires us to include a statement, that states: The charges outlined in this publication are merely accusations and the defendant and or defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt."
FILED UNDER: MAY 7, 2024: LAW, LOCAL, PASSAIC: