A Passaic City man has been found guilty of kidnapping and making sexual contact with a woman at an abandoned Van Houten Street home in Paterson, according to the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office.
Juan Cruz-Pena, 31-year-old, worked with an alleged accomplice to confine a 35-year-old woman to the porch of 299 Van Houten Street in Paterson for hours. Cruz-Pena punched the victim and forced her into repeated sexual acts, authorities said.
His alleged accomplice Daniel Ortiz, 33, of Passaic City, assisted him in the crime. Authorities said the incident happened on May 22, 2014 at around 2 a.m.
Cruz-Pena was found guilty by a jury on Thursday of first-degree kidnapping, third-degree aggravated criminal sexual contact, and aggravated assault. He could face a maximum of 40 years in state prison when he is sentenced on November 4, 2016.
After release he will have to register as a sex offender and be subject to parole supervision for life, authorities said.
Authorities said Cruz-Pena’s alleged accomplice Ortiz will be tried at a later date.