Two people have been charged in the case of a woman who was sexually attacked on a popular New Jersey recreation trail in the middle of the afternoon earlier this week, law enforcement sources said Friday.
Those arrested include a 17-year-old boy and an 18-year-old man, both of whom live in Morristown but are originally from Latin America. The boy is accused of robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery, as well as theft, in the case, prosecutors said. His name will not be released because of his age.
The 18-year-old, Lizandro Osorio-Mejia, was charged with aggravated sexual assault, aggravated criminal sexual contact, robbery, making terroristic threats and a litany of other crimes.
The arrests come after a woman was attacked on the typically low-crime town's Traction Line Recreation Trail around 3:45 p.m. Tuesday.
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Prosecutors had said the two people charged Friday approached the woman on the trail that afternoon and asked her for cash.
She didn't give them any. One suspect, believed to be Osorio-Mejia, then shoved her to the ground and sexually attacked her while the other stood by and did kept watch, officials said.
Prosecutors say the victim didn't know either of them. But police said she got a good look at the one who sexually attacked her before he and his friend biked away and likely hopped on a train. Police say the friend who stood by and did nothing wore a black hooded sweatshirt with a peculiar phrase, "a--holes live forever."
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The trail where the attack took place is popular among runners, dog walkers and local families -- and has some rethinking their routes, including Beth Cooper.
"Super scary," Cooper said.
Morristown resident Wes Shun said he was shocked by news of the attack.
"It's a safe trail," Shun said. "Lot of people on this trail, so I'm kind of shocked by this news."
Morris County Sheriff Jim Gannon also said an attack of that nature in the area was "unusual."
"In broad daylight and an open area, it's very much unusual in our experience, so we’re very much concerned," Gannon said.
