For Immediate Release:
July 2, 2026

Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella announced the arrest of 24-year-old GERSON I. CANIL GARCIA of Fairview, NJ on charges of sexual assault and endangering the welfare of a child. The arrest was the result of an investigation conducted by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Chief Jeff Angermeyer, and the Cliffside Park Police Department, under the direction of Chief Yakup Zoklu.

On Sunday, June 28, 2026, the Cliffside Park Police Department contacted the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit regarding the alleged sexual assault of a juvenile that had occurred in the past. A joint investigation by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office and the Cliffside Park Police Department revealed that GERSON I. CANIL GARCIA sexually assaulted a juvenile on more than one occasion in Cliffside Park.

As a result of the investigation, on Tuesday, June 30, 2026, GERSON I. CANIL GARCIA was arrested in Cliffside Park, NJ and charged with two counts of second-degree sexual assault, N.J.S.A. 2C:14-2c(4); and second-degree endangering the welfare of a child, N.J.S.A. 2C:24-4a(1). CANIL GARCIA was remanded to the Bergen County Jail pending a detention hearing in Bergen County Superior Court in Hackensack, NJ.

Prosecutor Musella states that the charges are merely accusations, and that the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. He would like to thank the Cliffside Park Police Department for its assistance in this investigation.