A 42-year-old Gloucester Township man who was charged in 2019 with sexual assault against a child and spent nearly six years on the run was arrested on Feb. 11 in Pueblo, Mexico, according to Camden County Prosecutor Grace C. MacAulay and police sources.
Brian J. Rivers Jr. was taken into custody by the U.S. Marshals Service, Office of International Operations, in collaboration with Mexican authorities. He had been charged in May of 2019 with first-degree aggravated sexual assault and 12 other offenses for crimes committed against a child in the township between 2012 and 2018.
A years-long investigation by a task force from the U.S. Marshals Service New York/New Jersey’s Camden division led to Rivers’ arrest after information was obtained by the task force that pinpointed his whereabouts. One of the most wanted fugitives sought by the prosecutor’s office, Rivers was extradited back to New Jersey a day after his arrest.
“The coordination between our task force partners in the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office and international counterparts demonstrates the power of persistence, teamwork and the unyielding pursuit of justice,” said Juan Mattos Jr., U.S. Marshal for the District of New Jersey.
“The arrest of Brian Rivers was a victory for all of our state, local and international partners who dedicated several years to tracking and capturing this fugitive after he fled the United States.”
A detention hearing for Rivers was held on Feb. 21 at the Camden County Hall of Justice.
