A man arrested in a child kidnapping who is suspected of sexually abusing the child is an illegal immigrant, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
A DHS representative said it has lodged a detainer for Lester Noe Perez-Amador, 27, after he was arrested, according to Fox News. The detainer would eventually send the suspect into the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The incident took place in Washington Borough, New Jersey.
The Warren County Prosecutor’s Office said Perez-Amador faces two counts of first-degree aggravated sexual assault and one count of third-degree endangering the welfare of a child, according to WRNJ-FM.
After a 6-year-old girl was taken from her home on Saturday, Perez-Amador was charged with first-degree home invasion burglary and first-degree kidnapping.
The additional charges were the result of further investigation.
The child was reported missing at 2:51 a.m. on Saturday.
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An illegal immigrant allegedly broke into a New Jersey home during the Labor Day weekend, kidnapped a 6-year-old girl in the middle of the night, and sexually assaulted her.
Lester Noe Perez-Amador, 27, now faces first-degree kidnapping charges — which carry up to life in prison… pic.twitter.com/uXjlKBXDz2
— Fox News US (@FoxUSNews) September 10, 2026
The child was found an hour later as she was walking home, with police locating her as she was returning on foot.
Perez-Amador, who was known to the child, was arrested over the weekend.
“When a child in our community is at risk, law enforcement responds as one. I witnessed first-hand as all involved agencies worked with focus on one common goal — to bring this child to safety,” Warren County Prosecutor Jessica Cardone said.
“Protecting our children is a responsibility we take very seriously, and our commitment does not end with an arrest. The Warren County Prosecutor’s Office will now proceed with this prosecution and continue our pursuit of justice,” Cardone said.
Washington Township Police Chief Christopher Jones said the arrest was the result of multi-agency collaboration.
“Our thoughts go out to the victim, and we wish the best to them and their family,” he said.
The prosecutor’s office said the first-degree aggravated sexual assault charge has a maximum sentence of 25 years to life. The maximum sentence on a charge of third-degree endangering the welfare of a child is five years.
A first-degree kidnapping charge has a maximum sentence of life imprisonment with 25 years of parole ineligibility. First-degree home invasion burglary has a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
DHS said that the suspect was previously detained by ICE after a 2024 DUI arrest.
“The Biden administration then released him back into the community despite being a criminal illegal alien with no right to remain in our country,” a DHS representative said.
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