Middletown man wanted for sexual assault found at JFK Airport

A Middletown man wanted by Hackettstown Police for a sexual assault that took place in January has been found, arrested and charged at J.F.K. International Airport.

Prison cell at the Monmouth County Correctional Institute. (Vin Ebenau, Townsquare Media New Jersey)

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Hacekttstown Police released a statement on Thursday stating that 32-year old Andres M. Cardenas Ortega of Middletown was found and arrested by Port Authority of New York and New Jersey police early in the morning on Thursday.

Ortega was supposed to show up at Hackettstown police headquarters on Wednesday, police said, but he didn't and so was subsequently entered into the National Crime Information Center database as a wanted person.

It wasn't too long of a search as Port Authority police spotted him at J.F.K. airport, although it's not known where he may have been intending to go or stay.

Hackettstown Detectives have been investigating a sexual assault that took place at a home in January of this year after the victim who lived there told police she found a number of videos on a digital device and a google account "that showed her being sexually assaulted by Ortega."

Police said "the adult victim had not consented to these sexual acts and did not know this happened before seeing the videos."

She also didn't give any consent to any sexual acts being recorded.

When Hackettstown police identified Ortega and were ready to charge him, they made several phone calls and tried to get him to come into headquarters but the calls went unanswered and he was nowhere to be found.

So the alert went out and Port Authority of New York and New Jersey police put Ortega in handcuffs.

Ortega is being charged with four counts of first-degree aggravated sexual assault, two counts of third-degree aggravated criminal sexual contact, and one count of third-degree invasion of privacy.

At the moment, he is being held in New York City awaiting extradition to Warren County, Hackettstown Police said.