New Acting Hudson County Prosecutor Appointed; Had Tried High-Profile Homicide Cases

HUDSON COUNTY, NJ — An acting prosecutor has been named for Hudson County after Esther Suarez announced her retirement last month.

New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin announced Saturday that First Assistant Prosecutor Wayne Mello will head the officer for now.

Platkin's office noted that Mello "has tried high-profile murder cases."

His new role began on July 31. He had been serving as the county's first assistant prosecutor since 2016.

Mello will supervise the HCPO’s approximately 70 assistant prosecutors and more than 100 detectives as they investigate and prosecute major cases involving violent crime, gun violence, narcotics distribution, cybercrimes, gang activity, and more.

“As Acting Hudson County Prosecutor, Wayne Mello will bring valuable prosecutorial and leadership experience, institutional knowledge, and continuity,” said Platkin.

“Respected by prosecutors and defense attorneys alike, his talent, background, attention to detail, and heartfelt work on behalf of victims make him the right choice."

Platkin added, "I also want to thank his predecessor, Esther Suarez, for her many years of dedicated public service, during which she built up her office's investigative, emergency-response, and victim-advocacy capabilities, and worked hard in seeking justice and making Hudson County safer.”

“I am profoundly grateful and honored to be asked by Attorney General Platkin to serve in this position,” said Mello. “I look forward to taking on the challenges of the role and having the opportunity to stand up for victims, pursue justice, to improve public safety, and to ensure the well-being of all Hudson County residents.”

Before joining the HCPO, Mello served with the Morris and Bergen County Prosecutor’s offices. In Bergen County, he was the chief homicide assistant prosecutor.

Mello tried several cases that made headlines, including the 2006 Ramsey homicide case involving defendant Edward Ates. Ates was charged in connection with the August 23, 2006 fatal shooting of his former son-in-law, Paul Duncsak. Ates’ defense attorney infamously argued that his client’s excess weight, and resulting health problems, rendered Ates incapable of committing the killing.

But prosecutors presented evidence that Ates had researched gun silencers, how to pick a lock and how to commit murder. He was convicted of first-degree murder,

Mello also prosecuted the case involving the death of Jody Ann Scharf, who fell approximately 119 feet from a ledge at the top of a cliff at Palisades Interstate Park. Initially, the medical examiner said the manner of death “could not be determined," according to Platkin's office.

But in 2004, the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office began a comprehensive re-review of the matter. That reinvestigation determined the victim’s injuries were inconsistent with a passive fall down the cliff, and instead indicated she had been pushed. Mello obtained a jury conviction of murder for her husband, Stephen Scharf.

Mello is a graduate of St. Peter’s University in Jersey City and of Rutgers School of Law. He was admitted to the New Jersey Bar in 1977.

He served in the military in the Vietnam War, attaining the rank of Infantry First Lieutenant in the U.S. Army.

Meanwhile, Suarez served through July 31.

"Serving as Hudson County prosecutor, the very community where I was born and raised, has been an incredible honor," she said last month. "My goal, since day one, was to build an office that can better address the needs of the residents of Hudson County, while also providing law enforcement with the tools necessary to protect and serve."

Suarez, a Bayonne native who moved to Secaucus, was a Superior Court judge before becoming Hudson County prosecutor.