Man Sexually Assaults Co-Worker Outside Mahwah Restaurant, Police Say

An employee of Mahwah’s River Palm Terrace restaurant was arrested Monday after he attempted to sexually assault his co-worker outside the eatery, Mahwah Police Chief Jim Batelli said Tuesday.

According to Batelli, a 34-year-old woman was leaving the River Palm late Sunday night when another employee, Issac Jacome, 44, of Suffern, N.Y., asked her for a ride home.

Though the woman told police she only knew Jacome’s first name, she said she was “familiar” with him, because he had worked at the restaurant for 15 years, and she had driven him home before without an issue, Batelli said.

After getting in the woman’s car Sunday, however, Jacome “put his hand over her mouth, uttered an apology, and then began to grope her,” Batelli said.

The woman tried to get him to stop, but Jacome tried to kiss her and attempted to remove her pants and shirt, Batelli said. He was unsuccessful, and the woman was able to fight him off, struggle to get free, and get out of the car, police said.

When the woman ran back into the restaurant, Jacome got into another car and drove away, police said.

Jacome was arrested at his Suffern home Monday, where Batelli said he “appeared to be intoxicated.” Jacome was also scheduled to be leaving the country to visit family in Mexico within the next few days, police said.

Jacome was charged with criminal sexual contact and remanded to the Bergen County Jail in lieu of $10,000 bail, police said. Cops have also contacted immigration and customs enforcement to investigate Jacome’s residency in the United States, Batelli said.