The smart and fast work of the North Arlington Police Department, combined with a stellar use of technology, led the department to rapidly locate woman who had absconded with her child for whom she did not have custody and who made her way to the City of Brotherly Love, Lt. David Hudak, of the North Arlington Police Department, said.
According to Hudak:
On Oct. 10, 2025, the North Arlington Police Department responded to a report of a 7-year-old child who had been taken without authorization during a supervised visit at a residence in the borough. The child’s biological mother, Aurea Rosa, had previously lost her parental rights and was only permitted supervised visits. During the visit, she tricked a Division of Child Protection and Permanency (DCP&P) worker by saying she was going to do laundry in the basement, then fled the residence through the back door with the child.
Upon arrival, officers immediately began a coordinated search effort, notifying surrounding jurisdictions and activating all available investigative resources.
At the start of the investigation, officers faced significant challenges.
The suspect had left behind her personal belongings, including her car keys and primary cellphone, leaving investigators with virtually no leads to follow. Despite these obstacles, officers conducted multiple area searches and began examining the residence for any possible clues.
Early in the response, K-9 units from the Lyndhurst Police Department and a bloodhound from the Hudson County Sheriff’s Office were deployed to track the pair’s scent and drone units equipped with thermal imaging from Lyndhurst were used to search nearby parks, cemeteries and open areas. These resources were instrumental in canvassing large areas quickly and provided situational awareness while officers pursued other investigative leads.
A major breakthrough came when officers discovered a receipt for a prepaid cellphone that had been purchased five days before the abduction. Detectives identified the number linked to the newly purchased phone and quickly learned it had been used to contact a Newark-based taxi service around the same time the child went missing.
Upon speaking with the taxi driver, officers learned the suspect had made a stop in Harrison, where she reportedly retrieved a suitcase stashed underneath a parked vehicle. The driver also confirmed the taxi then transported the suspect and child to a location in Pennsylvania, which investigators were able to verify using automated license plate recognition (ALPR) technology. These steps demonstrated a premeditated plan to flee and possibly leave the country.
Given the elevated risk, regional and federal partners — including Homeland Security, U.S. Customs, TSA, Border Patrol and NJ Transit Police — were immediately notified.
Working with law enforcement in Pennsylvania, officers learned Rosa and the child had later been seen at a Wawa store in Emmaus, Pennsylvania, where Rosa asked employees for help finding a place to stay and a way to get to Philadelphia. That critical lead guided North Arlington officers to contact the surrounding areas for further assistance.
Shortly after, North Arlington officers received another major break when employees at a nearby McDonald’s confirmed that a woman matching Rosa’s description had been inside the restaurant asking for a ride to Philadelphia. Officers learned Rosa had paid a McDonald’s employee in cash to use the employee’s Uber account, an intentional act to further disguise her movements and avoid detection.
Working with the New Jersey State Police Missing Persons Unit, the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, and the Philadelphia Police Department, investigators tracked that Uber trip to a location near Race Street in Philadelphia.
Officers from Philadelphia and New Jersey ultimately located Rosa and safely recovered the child at a nearby hostel.
From the initial call for service to the safe recovery of the child, the entire operation took place in less than 12 hours — a reflection of the urgency, communication and collaboration among all involved.
The child was reunited with her father and is safe.
Rosa, meanwhile, was taken into custody by Philadelphia Police and charged with interference with custody (3rd Degree) under a warrant issued by the North Arlington Police Department.
The North Arlington Police Department extends its gratitude to all assisting agencies, including the Lyndhurst Police Department, Kearny Police Department, the Hudson County Sheriff’s Office, neighboring police departments, the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, the New Jersey State Police, the Philadelphia Police Department and U.S. federal partners.
“It was inspiring to see everyone working diligently to locate this child safely,” Lt. David Hudak, of the North Arlington Police Department, said. “A child holds a special place in all of our hearts, and this investigation proves just how deeply that commitment runs among the officers and agencies who came together for her safe return.”
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Kevin A. Canessa Jr. is the editor of and broadcaster at The Observer, an organization he has served since 2006. He is responsible for the editorial content of the newspaper and website, the production of the e-Newspaper, writing several stories per week (including the weekly editorial), conducting live broadcasts on social media channels such as YouTube, Facebook, and X, including a weekly recap of the news — and much more behind the scenes. Between 2006 and 2008, he introduced the newspaper to its first-ever blog — which included podcasts, audio and video. Originally from Jersey City, Kevin lived in Kearny until 2004, lived in Port St. Lucie. Florida, for four years until February 2016 and in March of that year, he moved back to Kearny to return to The Observer full time. Click Here to send Kevin an email.