The girls had either just exited their school buses or were walking home from school when they were attacked, police said.
LONG BRANCH - A 27-year-old city man was charged with multiple offenses, including sexual assault, after he allegedly targeted at least three girls on their way home from school.
On Tuesday afternoon three girls, ages 12 to 14, were approached by a man as they had either just exited their school buses or were walking home from school, Public Safety Director Jason Roebuck said in a release.
During the first two incidents, the man forcibly robbed the two girls of their cell phones. In both of these cases, the bus drivers and bus aides witnessed the robberies, came to the aid of the victims, and brought them back onto the bus, Roebuck said.
The third incident happened as one of the girls was walking home from school and the man picked her up and attempted to remove her from the area, Roebuck said. A classmate helped the girl fight off her alleged attacker, he added.
All three incidents occurred within minutes of each other.
Following a subsequent investigation, police arrested Daniel Omar Mejia-Reyes, 27, of 383 Bath Ave., and charged him with two counts of robbery, criminal restraint, aggravated criminal sexual contact and sexual assault, Roebuck said.
He was lodged in the Monmouth County Correctional Institution in Freehold with no bail and was also held on an immigration detainer.
"The quick response time and actions by both the Patrol Division and the Detective Bureau, working together, brought this incident to a quick conclusion, ending in the arrest of the accused," Roebuck said. "Everyone involved, including the bus aide driver and student, should be commended."
Anyone with additional information in this case is asked to contact the lead investigator Detective Jake Pascucci at 732-222-1000.
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