UNION COUNTY PROSECUTOR’S OFFICE

ANDREW K. RUOTOLO JR. JUSTICE CENTER

32 RAHWAY AVENUE
ELIZABETH, NEW JERSEY 07202-2155
(908) 527-4500 FAX: (908) 289-1267
UCPO@ucnj.org
LYNDSAY V. RUOTOLO* DOREEN A. YANIK
Acting Prosecutor of Union County First Assistant Prosecutor

* Certified Criminal Trial Attorney DEREK T. NECECKAS

Deputy First Assistant Prosecutor

For Immediate Release

October 7, 2020
Contact: Mark Spivey, Union County Prosecutor’s Office
732-236-9849; mspivey@ucnj.org

Fugitive wanted for 2018 child sex assault in Plainfield apprehended in Tennessee

A fugitive wanted for allegedly sexually assaulting a child in Plainfield the summer before last has been
located and apprehended following an intensive multi-state search, acting Union County Prosecutor
Lyndsay V. Ruotolo and Plainfield Police Director Lisa Burgess jointly announced Wednesday.

Jose A. Donis, 53, with a last known address on the 900 block of West Third Street in Plainfield, was
taken into custody by members of the U.S. Marshals Service Tuesday evening in the Whispering Hills
neighborhood of Nashville, Tennessee.

A joint investigation by the Plainfield Police Division and the Prosecutor’s Office’s Special Victims Unit
(SVU) revealed that the alleged sexual abuse took place from early June to late September 2018, when the
victim was on summer vacation and the defendant rented a room in the building in which she lived,
according to Union County Assistant Prosecutor Kathleen Dillon, who is prosecuting the case.

In June 2020, Donis was criminally charged with second-degree sexual assault of a child under the age of
13 and third-degree endangering the welfare of a child. He remained at large until investigators acting on
a tip arrested him; he will remain in custody in Tennessee pending extradition to New Jersey.

“Yesterday’s arrest was the culmination of outstanding investigative work into terrible crimes against a
young child, as well as a relentless effort to bring a dangerous predator to justice,” Prosecutor Ruotolo
said. “This result reflects the remarkable resolve of our investigative staff and the federal authorities
assisting them.”

This investigation was led by SVU Detective Claudia Diez and Sgt. Sofia Santos; anyone with
additional information about the activities of this defendant is still urged to contact them at 908-868-
0391 or 908-577-4256, respectively. Tips can also be submitted anonymously by phone at 908-654-
TIPS (8477) or online at www.uctip.org.

Convictions on second-degree criminal offenses are commonly punishable by 5 to 10 years in state

prison, while third-degree crimes can result in terms of 3 to 5 years.

These criminal charges are mere accusations. Every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until
proven guilty in a court of law.