By: Tracie Carter
According to information released by Acting Hudson County Prosecutor Wayne Mello, a 26-year-old Union City man has been arrested and charged in connection with explicit crimes involving two underage girls.
Investigators from the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit arrested Malik Pardo on Wednesday, August 13, 2025, following an investigation into a June 2024 incident at a public pool in Union City.
Authorities allege that Pardo groped a 12-year-old girl at the pool and later sent her explicit messages. He is also accused of sending similar messages to a second victim, a 13-year-old girl.
Pardo faces one count of Explicit Contact, a second-degree crime, and three counts of Endangering the Welfare of a Child, third-degree crimes.
He was taken into custody near New York Avenue and 9th Street in Union City and transported to the Hudson County Correctional Facility in Kearny, where he awaits his first court appearance.
Acting Prosecutor Mello credited the Special Victims Unit and the Union City Police Department for their work in the investigation and arrest. 
Authorities urge anyone with information about explicit offenses to contact the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit at 201-915-1234.