Prosecutor: 3 restaurant staffers molested teen in Red Bank, NJ

Three men are accused of repeated sexual contact with a 17-year-old female co-worker at two Red Bank restaurants, where they all were employed together.

Trinidad Mendez-Romero, 31, of Tinton Falls, and 34-year-old Eduardo Jimenez-Berdejo, of Red Bank, were indicted by a Monmouth County Grand jury on two counts each of third-degree endangering the welfare of child and fourth-degree criminal sexual contact.

Jesus E. Reyes-Rodriguez, 35, of Red Bank, was indicted on one count each of the same charges, according to Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Lori Linskey.

Prosecutors did not publicly identify the restaurants where they worked, but criminal complaints list the addresses as 1 Marine Park and 78 Bridge Avenue, which are Boon Docks Fishery & Grill and Boondock's Fishery 2-Go and Boondocks Backyard, respectively.

The charges are in connection with incidents at both locations, Linskey said, over a more than eight-month span from June 2020 to early February.

The men are accused of groping a 17-year-old female multiple times, according to the complaints.

Mendez-Romero and Jimenez-Berdejo both were arrested in February.

NJ teachers and educators caught in sex crime busts

Over the past few years, state lawmakers have taken on the challenge of dealing with accused child predators among the ranks of teachers and educators.

In 2018, the so-called “pass the trash” law went into effect, requiring stricter New Jersey school background checks related to child abuse and sexual misconduct.

The follow individuals were arrested over the past several years. Some have been convicted and sentenced to prison, while others have accepted plea deals for probation.

Others cases are still pending, including some court delays amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

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