Man Charged in Sex Assault of Boy, 13

A 46-year-old man was arrested today for allegedly abducting and sexually assaulting a 13-year-old boy last year, the Essex County Prosecutor’s office said.

Anthony Barham, who has lived in Newark as well as East Orange and Irvington, allegedely approached the victim as he walked down a Newark street in August 2011. Barham forced the boy into his car and drove him to Irvington, where Barham allegedly assaulted him. The victim later escaped, the prosecutor’s office said in a statement. 

A spokeswoman for the prosecutor’s office could provide no additional information about the incident.

DNA recovered from the victim was used to identify Barham, resulting in the charges and subsequent arrest. The arrest was carried out today by members of the Special Victims Unit of the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office. At the time of the attack, Barham was on parole supervision wearing a GPS monitor, the prosecutor’s office stated.

According to Department of Corrections records, Barham previously was charged with two community supervision violations under Megan’s Law, which requires sex offenders to be monitored and, for those considered high- to moderate-risk, placed in an online registry. Barham is not listed on the state’s Megan’s Law registry.

Barham entered the Garden State Youth Correctional Facility in Yardville in December 2010 and was released April 7, 2011, a few months before he allegedly assaulted the 13-year-old.

It could not immediately be determined why Barham fell under Megan’s Law supervision. A Department of Corrections spokesman today could provide no additional information about Barham’s criminal history.

Barham was charged with first degree kidnapping, first degree aggravated sexual assault, second degree sexual assault, third degree criminal sexual contact and third degree terroristic threats. Bail was set at $500,000 by the Honorable Peter V. Ryan, J.S.C.