Friday, July 30, 2021
Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella announced the arrest of JOSE M. RIVERA MES (DOB: 12/30/1991; single; bus company employee) of 45 East Brinkerhoff Avenue, Apartment 7, Palisades Park, NJ, on charges of murder, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, and unlawful possession of a weapon. The arrest is the result of an investigation conducted by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office under the direction of Chief Jason Love and the Palisades Park Police Department under the direction of Officer in Charge Captain Shawn Lee.
On Monday, July 26, 2021, at approximately 7:11 p.m. the Palisades Park Police Department responded to a stabbing in an open area adjacent to 201 Roosevelt Avenue, Palisades Park, NJ. The victim, 37-year-old Danilo Gonzalez-Flores of Palisades Park, was transported to Hackensack University Medical Center in critical condition and later died as a result of his injuries.
An investigation conducted by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit and the Palisades Park Police Department revealed that JOSE M. RIVERA MES stabbed Danilo Gonzalez-Flores with a kitchen knife.
On Thursday, July 29, 2021, JOSE M. RIVERA MES was located in Maryland, where he was arrested and charged with one count of first-degree murder, N.J.S.A. 2C:11-3a(1); one count of third-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, N.J.S.A. 2C:39-4d; and one count of fourth-degree unlawful possession of a weapon N.J.S.A. 2C:39-5d. He was remanded to Prince George County Jail in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, pending extradition to New Jersey.
Prosecutor Musella states that the charges are merely accusations and that the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, and he would like to thank the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office and the Palisades Park Police Department for their assistance in this investigation.