Princeton, NJ police makes arrest in teen groping

A Hopewell man was charged in connection with the latest groping incident in Princeton as police look for connections to prior attacks.

Princeton police said Melecio Xecchay, 49, walked up behind a 17-year-old girl in the Franklin Avenue parking lot near Princeton High School on Thursday and grabbed her in the left leg as she got into her vehicle.

Xecchay was charged with 4th-degree attempted sexual contact and 3rd-degree endangering the welfare of a child. He is being held at the Mercer County Correctional Facility.

Officials did not explain how they identified the suspect.

Incidents reported back to 2014

Princeton police Lt. Christopher Tash told New Jersey 101.5 said they are investigating connections to similar reported groping incidents in Princeton going back to 2014 without any arrests.

"We're still looking into it. There's some similarities but we're still looking into everything with him to see if there's a connection between him and the other ones," Tash said.

Xecchay used the alias Melecio Xec, according to Tash.

Police ask anyone with information about any groping incidents to contact them at 609-921-2100 X1832.

Dan Alexander is a reporter for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at dan.alexander@townsquaremedia.com

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