Upper Saddle River police recently arrested a gas station attendant accused of committing a sexual offense by reaching up a woman’s skirt.

The victim was a customer at a gas station in Upper Saddle River, NJ. According to law enforcement officials, the victim was at the gas station because she needed to buy gasoline for her automobile. The suspect reportedly approached the victim and persuaded her to also get air in her tires.

The victim took the car to a different spot in the parking lot, got out of the vehicle, kneeled down, and started to inflate one of the vehicle tires. At that point, the suspect allegedly placed his hand underneath the victim’s skirt and groped her.

Detectives with the Upper Saddle River Police Department investigated the sex crime allegations and later placed the suspect under arrest.

The suspect is a 32-year-old man from Spring Valley, NY. He has been charged with the sex crime of criminal sexual contact. In most instances in which criminal sexual contact charges are filed by the prosecutor’s office, it is not possible for prosecutors to prove the elements of more serious sex crimes like aggravated sexual assault or sexual assault. N.J.S.A. 2C:14-3 stipulates that criminal sexual contact is a fourth degree crime. A conviction on fourth degree criminal sexual contact charges could lead to a sentence of up to 18 months in NJ State Prison.

Moreover, a conviction for this type of sexual offense can result in the offender being required to register as a convicted sex offender under Megan’s Law after he has completed his prison term.

The suspect is currently being held at the Bergen County Jail in Hackensack in lieu of a $25K bail amount.

To learn more about this case, see the NJ.com article, “Gas Station Attendant Charged with Groping Customer.”