One of them was a young lady, in her early twenties, who paced several blocks north and south near the corner of Tonnele and Manhattan avenues last Wednesday around 4:30 p.m.
Dressed in a gray, hooded jacket, the young white woman, who looked somewhere between late teens to early twenties, stopped pacing when a northbound pickup truck for a painting company stopped near the corner of Tonnele and Manhattan. The young woman climbed into the truck and it sped away.
But that ride is not free.
Whether it is on Tonnele Avenue, a longtime hotspot like Cornelison Avenue, or other busy avenues, prostitution is alive and well in Jersey City. And residents still view it as an infringement on their quality of life.
In 2006, there were 152 arrests in Jersey City related to 87 prostitution-related incidents, according to police spokesperson Lt. Edgar Martinez.
In addition, an alleged prostitute was murdered in a Greenville apartment building last April. A man whom some believe was her "pimp" was charged with the murder and is still at large.
Some residents of that building said last week that they were unaware of the murder.
As is the case in every U.S. state with the exception of Nevada, buying and selling of sexual services is usually classified as a misdemeanor. That means most prostitutes are arrested, brought into court to face a judge, pay a small fine, and then are released to the streets.A house of ill-repute?
The building on the corner of Ocean and Linden avenues in Jersey City still stands as a reminder of a prostitute's death that took place at the site last spring.
On April 12, Elizabeth resident Janneth Marin, 36, was found dead at 100 Linden Ave.
According to Hudson County Prosecutor Edward DeFazio, Marin was found with multiple stab wounds in her first-floor apartment. Louis Ramirez, whom DeFazio said had a personal relationship with Marin at the time of her death, has been charged with her murder.
DeFazio said there were rumors that he had allegedly been her pimp.
DeFazio said Ramirez has not been apprehended and was last seen in South Jersey just after her murder. He is native of Mexico who DeFazio said was in the country illegally.
"He is a fugitive, and it could be he's either in South Jersey or in Mexico," DeFazio said recently. "We really don't know."
While Marin's murder remains open, another issue is still left hanging.
Is the building or block a hotspot for prostitutes? And what about those other corners where a resident can drive by in the middle of the day and watch ladies suspiciously loitering? Residents unaware
One resident of the building said he had no idea that there was a murder last year.
"I had no idea that any of that stuff was happening," Hector said. "I live here 10 years and there are a lot of problems in this area, but that's definitely a surprise."
Johnny Rodriguez, a fellow tenant, also concurred with Hector's reaction saying he had "no idea it was going on."
But a longtime resident on Linden Avenue said she wasn't surprised that there was prostitution on the block. The resident, who did not want to give her name, has lived on Linden Avenue for over 20 years and has seen prostitutes move into the area.
But she said the criminal activity in the area is, to a larger extent, drug-dealing and gang activity.
City councilmen Michael Sottolano and Peter Brennan, who both have ties politically and personally to the Greenville area, said police patrols have increased since Marin's death, and much of the prostitution has moved out the area.
A spokesperson for the owner of the building, Rola Management in Pearl River, N.Y., offered the following comment: "Basically, after checking internally I cannot offer any comments at this point." 'Hooker Highway'
Pat O' Melia refers to Tonnele Avenue as "Hooker Highway." O'Melia, host of two weekly public access cable shows in Hudson County and a radio show, "Hudson County's Talking," has worked in the trucking industry in Jersey City since 1974. He said Tonnele Avenue has always been a haven for sex workers plying their trade.
"It's the perfect place for 'sweaty Betties,' " O'Melia said. "You have a number of motels where you can get a motel room with a three-hour stay rate, or truck stops and other areas where cars can stop and the girls get in."
Mario Costa, who owns the White Manna Diner on the corner of Tonnele and Manhattan avenues and also owns the Ringside Lounge directly across the street, has worked in the area since 1971.
"I see [hookers] walking up and down Tonnele all the time," Costa said. "They come into my diner, and I don't want to stop them from getting food, but I let them know they can't linger here for too long. It's bad for business."
Costa said he has learned that the clients of these women are more upscale than people would think.
"People think they are truck drivers, and it's not," Costa said. "What you see are guys driving up in their Mercedes or other luxury cars, guys with fancy jobs in New York City."
Costa continued, "This is the road they take on the way to wherever they live, so it's easy for them to pick up a girl, do their business, and then go home."
But Costa has seen a reduction in prostitution over the years. He credits Jersey City police with constant surveillance and arrests.
What also helps have been the constant complaints from the Jimmy King Civic Association, a Jersey City-based civic group that has members who live near Tonnele Avenue.
King, responding to complaints from a member at recent meetings, said he has reached out to State Assemblyman Louis Manzo (D-31st Dist.) to approach the NJ State Police to work with local police to do more patrols. Ricardo Kaulessar can be reached at rkaulessar@hudsonreporter.com
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