Suspect arrested in Paterson sex assaults

Web produced by Jennifer Matarese, Eyewitness NewsPATERSON, N.J. (WABC) -- Police have arrested Rafael Velez, who was wanted for at least two sexual assaults in Paterson, New Jersey.

Velez, 42, was arrested just after 3:30 on Thursday in Newark on two counts each of aggravated sexual assault, kidnapping, possession of a weapon for unlawful purpose and robbery for two separate incidents in Paterson.

In the past three weeks, Velez has allegedly assaulted two teenagers at knifepoint on the top floor of an office building while doctors and lawyers were working on the floors below. Officials say Velez served 16 years in prison for sex assault and kidnapping, and was only recently released.

Paterson police say the incidents happened on Monday and on September 14, on the sixth floor of 129 Market Street, an historic office building in downtown Paterson less than half a block from City Hall.

Velez allegedly threatened the 18- and 19-year-old girls with a knife and told them he would kill their families if they reported the sexual assaults.

"He has targeted young, attractive women and then asked them to come walk with him," Paterson police Lieutenant Richard Reyes said.

On Wednesday afternoon, Paterson police surrounded 18 Market Street after receiving a tip that Velez worked at a textile factory there. Police evacuated the building and searched for three hours, but Velez apparently escaped.

"We searched the entire location and we brought in the K9 unit and we were unable to locate him," Reyes said.

Police are also investigating whether Velez is also responsible for the sexual assault of a 19-year-old woman on McBride Avenue near the Great Falls on Monday.

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Paterson may declare state of emergency over crime

  Eyewitness NewsPATERSON, N.J. -- Paterson's City Council is set to vote on a resolution calling on Gov. Chris Christie to declare a state of emergency to deal with street crime.

Backers of Tuesday's vote are hoping it would free up financial aid to pay for additional police officers and social programs.

Christie says Paterson isn't getting money from the state until the city is managed better.

City Council President Anthony Davis tells The Record newspaper Mayor Jeffrey Jones' administration is to blame.

Jones tells the newspaper Davis is overstepping his bounds and the situation is embarrassing.

Paterson receives $21 million from the state.

The city saw more than 100 shootings last year, when it laid off 125 police officers.

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Police-involved shooting at Paterson shopping center

  Eyewitness NewsPATERSON, N.J. (WABC) -- Authorities in New Jersey are investigating a police-involved shooting during an undercover drug investigation Thursday night.

Police say a New Jersey State Police detective was approaching a car in the parking lot of the Chamberlain Avenue Shopping Center, located at Chamberlain Avenue and West Broadway, in Paterson around 9:30 p.m.

The driver allegedly took off, hitting the detective.

The trooper opened fire and shot one person inside the car in the shoulder.

Three people were arrested.

Both the suspect and the officer were taken to St. Joseph's Medical Center with non life-threatening injuries.

The New Jersey Attorney General's shooting response team is handling the investigation.

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Are Paterson muggings linked?

  Matt Kozar, Eyewitness NewsPATERSON (WABC) -- Carrying a bible and her purse, a mother who was coming home from church with her 7-year-old is jumped on her front porch. The victim's daughter is hoping someone recognizes the brazen thief who has an unusual haircut.

The thief got away with more than $500 in cash, but what he didn't know was everything was caught on-camera.

"I feel scared because that surprised me," said the victim, Ana Sanchez.

Ana Sanchez had no idea she and her 7-year-old son, Jayden were being followed Tuesday night on their way home from church.

When they reached the door to their home on 14th Avenue, the thief pushed Sanchez and ripped her purse out of her hands.

"I had my wallet and bible together, so we when he jump on me, he push me and take my wallet," said Sanchez.

Confused, scared and stunned, Sanchez watched her attacker run away.

"I froze and I scream loud," Sanchez's son, Jayden Felix said.

7-year-old Jayden says he wanted to do more, but he was scared.

Fortunately, no one was hurt in the robbery. However unfortunately for the thief - everything he did was recorded.

Ana Sanchez installed security cameras last year after her home was burglarized.

"I would say he's in his early 20s. He looks like a mixture of Hispanic and black. He has a hair cut with a design in it," said Sanchez's daughter, Melisa Rosa.

Paterson police tell Eyewitness News they're investigating whether this robbery is linked to several others in the city involving young men stealing gold and jewelry from pedestrians.

In the meantime, Melisa Rosa is hoping someone recognizes the brazen thief who has an unusual haircut.

He stole hundreds of dollars from Rosa's mother, Ana, a bus driver from the Dominican Republic.

Ana Sanchez was robbed the day before her birthday. She turned 43 on Wednesday.

A deeply religious person, she says god was protecting her that night because she and her son weren't hurt.

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Fire in Paterson displaces three families

  Eyewitness NewsPATERSON (WABC) -- A third-alarm fire burned through two buildings in New Jersey, leaving at least three families homeless.

Fire broke out in a vacant building on East 19th Street in Paterson just after 3 a.m.

The fire spread to a neighboring house, which was occupied by the three displaced families. No injuries were reported.

The cause of the fire is investigation.

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Group beautifying Paterson, one storefront at at time

  Eyewitness NewsPATERSON (WABC) -- A group of artists is beautifying downtown Paterson, New Jersey, one storefront at a time.

The Ivanhoe Artists Mosaic is a volunteer group that is doing its best to beautify Paterson and give struggling artists a place to show off their talents.

Vacant storefronts dot the streets of Paterson like a checkerboard. With boarded up windows and signs begging for tenants, it's the kind of urban blight that Paterson has been fighting for years.

But the Ivanhoe Artists Mosaics believe some well-placed art can bring some hope.

"When you see are and something beautiful, it changes the way you think," the mosaic's Christine Conforti said. "An artist can do that, I think, with what they do. And that's why this is such a great opportunity for us, as artists, to not only get our work out there, but to change what's such an eyesore and a disappointment that is an empty storefront into something beautiful."

The group was sprucing up a window on Ellison Street for an installation highlighting Paterson's history. Another painting of the Great Falls was done by artist Ian Grinyer, who is thrilled to have a venue for his work.

"It's good to start getting the art out there and inspiring people and finding a lot of artists in Paterson," he said. "There's a lot of unknown artists all around town that really love to draw and paint, but they've got no outlet for their talents."

And there has been a surprising benefit to the storefront art.

A store on Main Street had been vacant for a year. But just three weeks after an installation went in, a lease was signed. The broker is convinced that having art instead of empty space made all the difference.

If you are an artist who would like to showcase your work or a building owner who would like your space used for art, you can contact the Ivanhoe Artists Mosiac at IvanhoeArtists.org

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Burglar hits Paterson mayor's home

  Eyewitness NewsPATERSON -- Authorities are trying to find the person who broke into the home of Paterson Mayor Jeffrey Jones.

Jones wasn't home at the time of Monday's heist. But his 76-year-old mother-in-law was.

No one was injured.

The mayor found the rear door broken and the home ransacked.

Jones tells The Record newspaper he's heartbroken his Marine Corps ring had been stolen.

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