PARK RIDGE—A store employee reportedly admitted to having fondled and kissed the breasts of an underage girl in the back of Krauszer’s Food Store on Park Avenue after giving her THC pens on Jan. 6.
Police Chief Joseph Madden announced Sharath K. Reddy’s arrest, saying the suspect, age 27 from New Milford, was charged with luring a minor, criminal sexual contact, and endangering the welfare of a child.
Arrest reports indicate Reddy didn’t know the girl or her female friend who’d entered the Park Avenue convenience store around 5 p.m. Friday, Jan. 6.
After locking the front door, Reddy led the girls to “an isolated area” in back of the store, an investigator wrote in a criminal complaint on file in Superior Court in Hackensack. “A subsequent interview was conducted with the defendant where he admitted to fondling and kissing the breasts of the underage victim,” the investigator said.
Reddy also “tried to solicit both juvenile victims to perform sexual acts,” Park Ridge Police Capt. Joseph Rampolla said.
An alert patron called in a suspicious occurrence after finding the door to the store locked during open hours, and being waved away by the clerk.
Park Ridge Police officers arrived on scene and met two juveniles who had just exited. The Park Ridge Police Detective Bureau took over the investigation, which led to Reddy’s arrest. Reddy remained held Monday in the Bergen County Jail pending a first appearance in Central Judicial Processing Court.
As the investigation continues, police say, more charges might be filed.
Madden asks any members of the public with additional information to please contact Detective Sergeant Gerald Powers at (201) 391-5401 ext. 5235 or gpowers@parkridgepolice.com. Madden emphasizes that these charges are merely accusations and that the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.