Paterson police arrest 10 ‘johns’ in prostitution crackdown
By Jayed Rahman
Published: November 4, 2017
In an undercover anti-prostitution sting operation on Friday, police arrested 10 men for patronizing sex workers, according to police director Jerry Speziale.
Speziale said police targeted “johns,” men who solicit sex from prostitutes, on Van Houten and Auburn Streets and East 25th and 19th Avenue.
One of the men was from Paterson while the rest were from elsewhere, according to police.
Police from the Narcotics and Vice Units arrested Sakib Razzak, 26, of Paterson; Moshe Schori, 66, of Bronx, NY; Brian Sierens, 32, of Wayne; Joseph Solari, 31, of Wayne; Justin Floyd, 22, of Prospect Park; Jose Sanchez, 40, of Clifton; Jerardo Florez, 53, of Passaic; William Simmon, 70, of Hasbrouck Heights; Wojtek Kolkowski, 38, of Wallington; Felipe Maldonado, 46, of Haverstraw, NY, said the director.
“We are focusing on all aspects of quality of life in our city and have zero tolerance,” said Speziale. He said vehicles belonging to the “johns” were towed by police.
Police transported the men to the downtown Paterson headquarters and charged them with soliciting prostitution, said the director.
The city’s booming sex trade has led to complaints from residents. For example, the pastor of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church implored municipal officials to crackdown on prostitution. School officials had to station an off-duty police officer outside of the Edward Kilpatrick School to drive away prostitutes.