1 adult, 1 teen charged in death of 15-year-old boy in New Rochelle
NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. — An adult and a teenager are facing charges in connection to the death of a 15-year-old boy in Westchester County.
Police say 15-year-old Jonson Temaj was found unresponsive on Charles Street and Washington Avenue in New Rochelle just after 6 a.m. Thursday. The teen was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Friday, police announced the arrests of Hugo Perez-Gabriel, 32, and a 16-year-old whose name was not released. Both are charged with concealment of a human corpse. Perez-Gabriel has also been charged with endangering the welfare of a child, and the 16-year-old was charged with possession of a forged instrument.
Police say Perez-Gabriel and the teenager removed Jonson's body from a nearby home and left him on the sidewalk. The cause of death is still under investigation.
Perez-Gabriel appeared Friday in New Rochelle City Court and was released without bail. The prosecutor said after New York bail reform, the charge of concealing a human corpse was not bail-eligible. Judge Eileen McCarthy denied a prosecution request that Perez-Gabriel surrender his passport and travel documents.
The juvenile suspect appeared before a judge in White Plains and also was released without bail.
Jonson Temaj remembered as "a good boy" with big dreams
Jonson arrived in the United States from Guatemala two years ago and was living with his uncle, Mynor Temaj, while the rest of his family remained in Guatemala.
Temaj said he was at work when his nephew died and had assumed Jonson was at school.
"I tried to call him, and then he doesn't pick up the phone. And I tried to call other friends and I ask if it is true, and they said yes," Temaj said.
The teen's uncle is now desperate for answers.
"It is sad," he said. "He's a good boy, you know."
Temaj said his nephew had big hopes for his future in the U.S.
"One of his dreams was to open his own business," he said.
Jonson was a proud graduate of Albert Leonard Middle School and was attending New Rochelle High School. The school district released a statement saying in part, "Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with all who are grieving this young man lost far too soon."
The high school is offering support teams to those who need it.
