SECAUCUS – Six people from New York and New Jersey were arrested Friday in a prostitution sting, according to the Secaucus Police Department.
Friday Nov. 5, between approximately 4 and 10 p.m., the Secaucus Police, working in conjunction with two other law enforcement agencies, arrested five women and one man at a Secaucus hotel for alleged crimes ranging from prostitution to promoting prostitution and hindering arrest.
Det. Sgt. John O’Keefe declined to name the hotel where the arrests were made and did not want to identify the two other law enforcement agencies that assisted in making the arrests.
The six arrested included: Kai Song, 42, Yong Di Murphy, 41, and Wang Zilam, 40, all of Queens, N.Y.; Xue Bai, 25, of Flushing, N.Y.; Tionna B. Williams, 21, of Jersey City; and Meillsa Alvarez, 27, of Paterson.
Song was charged with promoting prostitution, while Murphy, Zilam, Bai, and Williams were charged with engaging in prostitution. Alvarez was arrested and charged with hindering arrest for allegedly providing false information to police.
O’Keefe said law enforcement became aware of the alleged crimes through a website that advertises “adult services” online and in local newspapers.
Websites such as Backpage.com and ErosGuide.com, which on Monday included ads from several young ladies offering services in and around Secaucus, have been pressured by law enforcement recently to discontinue their adult services listings.
At the same time, tips from these sites have led to numerous arrests in recent months in West New York, Hoboken, and now Secaucus. — E. Assata Wright