Newark, N.J.— U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at Newark Liberty International Airport apprehended a U.S. citizen from Paterson, NJ, suspected of raping a minor, as he returned on a Continental Airlines flight from Lima, Peru, Wednesday, Dec. 29.
Leonardo Quintero, 20, was the subject of an active warrant posted Dec. 18 by the Clifton Police Department for aggravated sexual assault and the kidnapping of a minor. He is suspected of forcing a 12-year-old New Jersey girl to consume alcohol and raping her. He is also suspected of videotaping the assault and repeating his attack when he drove her home.
Quintero attempted to evade arrest by fleeing to Lima, Peru but returned voluntarily at the behest of his family.
“CBP officers continue to maintain the highest standards of interagency cooperation and enforcement,” said New York Director of Field Operations, Robert E. Pérez. “This is another example of the excellent working relationships that exist between CBP and multiple other federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.”
Upon completion of all CBP processes, Quintero was released into the custody of the Clifton Police Department.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.
