New Jersey pastor arrested for child abuse

A New Jersey pastor has been arrested on charges of sexually abusing a child, according to Bergen County Sheriff’s records.

The arrest of 74-year-old Stephen Sweet was first reported on the online news portal northjersey.com.

Sweet, who pastored Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church in River Edge, New Jersey for 27 years, is charged with two counts of first-degree aggravated sexual assault, 10 counts of second-degree sexual assault, three counts of second-degree endangering the welfare of a child, three counts of third-degree aggravated criminal sexual contact and three counts of fourth-degree criminal sexual contact.

According to the church’s website, the church also operates a preschool, New Beginnings and summer camp programs for children ages two and a half to eleven.

The Bergen County District Attorney’s Office accuses Sweet of sexually abusing a juvenile between the ages of 13 and 18 at various locations, including River Edge, Paramus and Ridgewood, according to a statement released Friday.

The alleged sexual abuse began in October 2013 and lasted until October 2018, the prosecutor’s office said in a statement.

Phone calls to the church over the weekend were not immediately answered.

According to court records, Sweet is being held without bail in the Bergen County Jail. He is awaiting his initial appearance in Central Judicial Processing Court in Hackensack, the statement said.

According to the church’s website, Sweet was received into Grace in 1997. He is an ordained minister with degrees in psychology, counseling and sociology, as well as a Master of Divinity from the Lutheran Theological Seminary of Philadelphia, the website says.

Sheila Stogsdill is a freelance print journalist and digital reporter who primarily covers crime issues for KSN/KODE.