NJ woman reported being raped. Turns out she was lying, cops say

JERSEY CITY — An 18-year-old woman has been accused of lying to police about a rape last month.

The woman from West New York, whose name was not released, was arrested on Friday and charged with third-degree perjury, fourth-degree false swearing and false reports to law enforcement.

On Dec. 11, members of the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit were contacted by the Union City Police Department, regarding a possible sex assault in Jersey City in November.

The woman said to police that on Nov. 30 around noon, she was walking in the area of Weldon Street and Dekalb Avenue when an unknown male approached her from behind, sexually assaulted her and then ran away.

'The SVU invested valuable time and resources that could have been used on other investigations.'

Law enforcement reviewed surveillance footage of the area from the time of the alleged crime, and SVU detectives filed the false report charges, Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez said Monday.

“The Special Victims Unit invested valuable time and resources that could have been used on other investigations,” Suarez said in a written statement.

She also strongly encouraged all victims of a sexual assault to call the Hudson County SVU at 201-915-1234.

It has been an unnerving year of reported sexual assaults around the state.

Women in two separate central Jersey parks reported being attacked and raped, just months apart in Bridgewater and the Plainsboro, South Brunswick area of the D&R Canal (in July and September, respectively).

In Westfield, a woman was sexually assaulted during a home invasion in October while another in Marlboro managed to escape an attacker during a daytime jog at Big Brook Park in November.

The 18-year-old accused of lying to police was released after her arrest and her first court appearance is set for Jan. 7, 2022.