Ten days after two men aroused fears among parents at Pier A Park for their alleged inappropriate behavior around children, a 44-year-old was arrested on Washington St. on Tuesday after he allegedly attempted to lure a 9-year-old girl into a car by saying, “Come to my car and I’ll teach you how to play the guitar.”
The girl, a Hoboken resident who was with her uncle at the time, ignored the man.
Shortly afterward, police arrested a man whom they identified as John Lotito. Lotito claimed to be a resident of Hoboken’s Homeless Shelter at 300 Bloomfield St.
Exactly two weeks earlier, on Tuesday Aug. 21 at approximately 7:46 p.m., the same man was arrested by police in the area outside the shelter after he was seen by residents allegedly running after cars with his pants down and his genitalia hanging out. According to Sgt. Samuel Williams, Lotito was approached by Detective Roy Haack, at which time he began to apologize for his actions. The 44-year-old was charged with lewdness and disorderly conduct and subsequently released.
Guitar lessons
Officers spotted Lotito shortly after the incident was reported on Tuesday.
At approximately 11:04 a.m., Police Officers Thomas O’Connor and Nicholas Burke arrived in the area of Seventh and Washington Streets on the report of a man attempting to lure a young girl into a vehicle.
After receiving a description of Lotito from the girl’s uncle, the officers spotted him in the vicinity and proceeded to arrest him. Lotito was positively identified by both the uncle and the young girl and brought back to headquarters, where he was charged with “luring,” a felony offense.
According to Hudson County Prosecutor Edward DeFazio, “luring” is defined as an adult attempting to lure a juvenile into a vehicle or structure.
According to a police source, Lotito, who is homeless, did not actually have a car, but was allegedly attempting to deceive the girl into believing he had one so that she would follow him.
The girl was allegedly approached by Lotito during a period in which her uncle left her in or by his car while he ran into a nearby donut shop. Before the uncle could enter the shop, he was called back by his niece.
According to a statement given by the uncle to police, the girl informed him that in the few moments the two had been apart, she had allegedly been asked by Lotito if she knew how to play the guitar. The girl did not respond. Lotito then allegedly told her, “Come to my car and I’ll teach you how to play the guitar.”
Before more could be said, Lotito was confronted by the uncle.
According to Sgt. Williams, Lotito is currently in the Hudson County Correctional Facility in Kearny, where he is awaiting trial.
Mayor, police chief react
In light of the incident on Tuesday, and the others that occurred the previous week at Pier A Park (See Sept. 2 Reporter), Mayor David Roberts said, “The problems we are having in our town with violent, lewd vagrants will not be tolerated. I plan to bring together all our resources to address this issue.”
He added that the welfare of the city’s children and the quality of life of Hoboken’s residents has and will always be the priorities of his administration.
When asked how the city’s Police Department planned to deal with the apparent increase of situations such as these, Hoboken Police Chief Dr. Carmen LaBruno said, “We are doing the best we can with the severe shortage of patrolmen we have, and the increased workload we’re experiencing as a result of the expanding population, particularly in the [northern] area of town.”
According to a police source, Hoboken’s Police Department has the fewest number of patrolmen it has had in 15 years.
It is rumored that Roberts will announce the hiring of police officers next week, although this could not be confirmed.
Michael Mullins can be reached at mmullins@hudsonreporter.com.