WOODCLIFF LAKE, N.J.—Resident Marcelo Velez, a vice president at Columbia University, has been charged with aggravated sexual assault, sexual assault by sexual contact, and endangering the welfare of a child.
Authorities allege Velez assaulted the child, 13, in a guest room of his house at approximately 8:30 a.m. on Jan. 2. Court records say that Velez left to play 18 holes of golf afterward.
The relationship of the victim to the accused is not a matter of public record.
Velez, 56, is married and Columbia University’s vice president of Manhattanville Development, where he oversees the development of the university’s West Harlem campus expansion.
The arrest is the result of a joint investigation conducted by the BCPO under the direction of Chief Robert Anzilotti and the Woodcliff Lake Police Department under the direction of Chief John Burns.
Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella announced the arrest of Velez on Jan. 5. He said that on Sunday, Jan. 3, the Woodcliff Lake Police Department received information that Velez engaged in sexual acts with a child under 13 while in Woodcliff Lake.
At that time, Woodcliff Lake Police contacted the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit, and the ensuing investigation revealed that the sexual acts occurred in Velez’s residence in Woodcliff Lake.
As a result of the investigation, on Monday, Jan. 4, Velez was arrested at his residence by the Woodcliff Lake Police Department. He was charged with one count of aggravated sexual assault, two counts of sexual assault by sexual contact, and one count of endangering the welfare of a child.
Velez was remanded to the Bergen County Jail pending his first appearance in Central Judicial Processing Court in Hackensack.
Musella emphasized that the charges are merely accusations and that the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. He thanked the Woodcliff Lake Police Department for its assistance in the investigation.
A university statement said “We have placed Mr. Velez on administrative leave and will cooperate fully with law enforcement officials investigating this matter.”