Man Arrested for Sexual Assault of Child at Morristown Park

Published on May 22, 2024

Morris County Prosecutor Robert Carroll, Chief of Detectives Robert McNally, and Morristown Police Chief Darnell Richardson announce that John Dowd, 56, of Morristown has been charged with first degree Aggravated Sexual Assault and third degree Endangering the Welfare of a Child in connection with an alleged assault that took place on May 9, 2024. Dowd is homeless and known to frequent Morristown.

The Morris County Prosecutor’s Office was notified on May 15 of an incident that had taken place on May 9 at George Gramby Memorial Park, located in Morristown, NJ. The four-year-old juvenile male victim reported that he was sexually assaulted by an unknown man while in the park.  The man was later identified as John Dowd. Dowd was located, taken into custody, and formally charged on May 15.

The incident remains under investigation and no further information will be released at this time.

As a result of the investigation, the defendant has been charged with first degree Aggravated Sexual Assault in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:14-2(a)(1), and third degree Endangering the Welfare of a Child in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:24-4(a)(1).  Pursuant to the Criminal Justice Reform Act, Dowd has been detained in the Morris County Correctional Facility pending a detention hearing.

Multiple law enforcement agencies have participated in this investigation, including members of the Morristown Police Department and the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Sex Crimes/Child Endangerment Unit.

Anyone with information about this incident is encouraged to call the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Sex Crimes/Child Endangerment Unit at (973) 285-6200, or the Morristown Police Department at (973) 538-2200.

A criminal complaint is merely an accusation. Despite these accusations, the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.