NJ kidnapping suspect was released from ICE custody in 2024

NJ kidnapping suspect was released from ICE custody in 2024
September 12, 2026

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NJ kidnapping suspect was released from ICE custody in 2024

🚨 Homeland Security says the man accused of kidnapping a 6-year-old had previously been in ICE custody.

🍸 Federal officials say he was arrested on a DUI charge in 2024 and later released.

⚖️ ICE has now lodged a detainer against him as he faces kidnapping and sexual assault charges.

A man is charged with kidnapping a young girl from her bed and then sexually assaulting her — and now Homeland Security says the unauthorized immigrant from Guatemala should’ve been deported years ago.

Lester Noe Perez-Amador, 27, of Washington Borough is being held at Warren County Jail, according to county prosecutors. He’s charged with two counts of aggravated sexual assault, kidnapping, and home invasion, all first-degree offenses. He’s also charged with third-degree child endangerment.

Homeland Security says suspect was previously in ICE custody

Now, Homeland Security says the kidnapping wouldn’t have happened if Perez-Amador had been deported after his previous arrest. A Homeland Security spokesperson said that he had entered the United States illegally at some unknown time and place.

In March 2024, Perez-Amador was arrested for drunk driving, according to Homeland Security. The county agency that arrested Perez-Amador turned him over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody to face deportation.

However, the feds then released him back into the community. Homeland Security blamed the previous administration under President Joe Biden.

“We are urging Washington Township authorities to transfer Perez-Amador into ICE custody so we can do what Biden failed to do the first time — get this criminal illegal alien off of our streets and back to Guatemala where he belongs,” the spokesperson said.

Train tracks in Washington Borough (Google Maps)

Perez-Amador now faces sexual assault charges

Perez-Amador was arrested on Sept. 5 after he snuck into a local girl’s bedroom, carried her to nearby train tracks, and then sexually assaulted her, according to police. The girl was found that morning running home without pants and with blood on her leg.

Video surveillance footage from 3 a.m. that Saturday morning showed the girl being carried down the street by a man, later identified as Perez-Amador. Her mouth was covered, and she was unable to get away, police said.

Investigators said DNA samples taken from the girl and her clothing were identified as belonging to Perez-Amador. The girl also told detectives she had seen him before, but court documents revealing where she saw him had been redacted.

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