ICE Released Man Years Before He Kidnapped, Assaulted NJ Girl: Feds

WARREN COUNTY, NJ — The man accused of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a six-year-old Warren County girl was released from ICE custody two years before the alleged abduction, federal officials said.

Federal officials said this week that Lester Noe Perez-Amador, 27, of Washington Township, is wanted by ICE after he illegally entered the country “at an unknown time and place.”

The Guatemalan national now faces child endangerment, sexual assault, and kidnapping charges, to name a few, following an investigation into an abduction earlier this month, according to police.

MORE: NJ Man Snuck Into Kid's Window To Abduct, Assault Her: Affidavit

According to the Department of Homeland Security, Perez-Amador was arrested for DUI by the Cameron County Police Department in March 2024, according to authorities.

He was later released under the Biden Administration, officials said.

ICE has issued a detainer on Perez-Amador and is looking to deport him back to Guatemala.

“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," a DHS spokesperson said. "The safest way to arrest and remove criminal illegal aliens from our streets is by lodging arrest detainers. Because some sanctuary jurisdictions refuse to work with ICE law enforcement, criminal illegal aliens are released from jails into American communities to perpetuate more crimes."

It's not clear when, or if, Perez-Amador will be transferred into ICE custody.

Background

On Sept. 6, just before 3 a.m., police received a report of a missing six-year-old girl in Washington. Police say that Perez-Amador snuck into the girl’s unsecured bedroom window before covering her mouth, grabbing her, and leaving.

Doorbell camera footage from neighbors captured Perez-Amador carrying and dragging the girl through the neighborhood, specifically through the church parking lot on East Church Street, police records said.

Perez-Amador brought the girl to train tracks, near the woods, and proceeded to sexually assault her with his fingers and penis, the affidavit reads.

Roughly an hour after she was reported missing, the six-year-old was found walking home alone, wearing nothing but a shirt and bleeding from her privates, officials said. The girl was sent to a hospital, where she required surgery, the affidavit adds.

After a 36-hour investigation, police determined Perez-Amador to be responsible, officials said. He was apprehended within the first 24 hours of the investigation, police said.

Perez-Amador was known to the victim, who referred to him as “cousin,” and sometimes “mom and dad’s friend,” police said. They had met several times before the abduction, records say.

Perez-Amador admitted to both the kidnapping and sexual assault, according to the affidavit.

Perez-Amador was initially charged with first-degree home invasion burglary and first-degree kidnapping. On Tuesday, prosecutors announced he's also been charged with two counts of first-degree sexual assault and one count of third-degree endangering the welfare of a child.

“Our thoughts go out to the victim, and we wish the best to them and their family," said Washington Township Police Chief Christopher Jones. "The collaboration between multiple agencies brought this investigation to a successful conclusion, with the suspect being placed in custody within a short time period."

If convicted on either a kidnapping or sexual assault charge alone, Perez-Amador faces a maximum of life in prison. He could also be deported by ICE before he is ever convicted.