‘We will never stop looking for Felix,’ N.J. family vows on 1-year anniversary that man vanished

Every day between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., Eric and Giovanni DeJesus scour the banks of the Passaic River, looking for their brother.

Afterward, they hang posters – some advertising a $20,000 reward to anyone who locates him. Then comb the community to see if anyone has found him.

Thursday marks a year since Felix DeJesus, 41, disappeared in Paterson, seemingly without a trace. But day after day, his family says they try to keep hope alive, even as they fear he will be forgotten with the passage of time.

“No one has helped us,” said Eric, 41, of Haledon. “It’s been a year, and we still don’t have answers.”

“It’s frustrating not knowing,” he added. “We are in the dark about so much, and we just want answers.”

Felix DeJesus, 41, of Haledon, went missing on Feb. 2 after Paterson Police struggled with and detained him around 8:55 p.m. outside a bodega in Paterson for allegedly harassing a woman inside. The officers later said they left an intoxicated DeJesus, dressed in a T-shirt and sweatpants, in a Paterson park in near-freezing temperatures, saying he asked to be taken there. His family has not seen him since.

For the one-year anniversary of his disappearance today, the family spoke with NJ Advance Media about the case and their exhaustive search for him. They’ve scheduled a vigil for him at 7 p.m. at Westside Park in Paterson.

Their efforts have been myriad: They have filed public records requests for information, tracked down and interviewed people who last saw or spoke with Felix, and secured video of his movements along the streets of Paterson on the last day anyone saw him. They’ve reviewed Paterson police body-cam video of a struggle he had with the officers who detained him and attended every Paterson City Council meeting since he vanished, protesting and pleading publicly with city leaders to do something to help find him.

The family said they are no closer to finding him than they were a year ago. The Haledon Police Department is still investigating, providing updates every two weeks that yield nothing, the family said. The Paterson officers who detained Felix remain on unpaid suspension following an internal affairs investigation that found they violated departmental policy during contact with him. And Paterson Mayor Andre Sayegh said the city “continues to work with Haledon Police to find Felix DeJesus.”

Still, the family does not trust that authorities are doing everything they can.

They have vowed to continue searching, questioning, protesting, praying and waiting.

They hope he is still alive somewhere, waiting for someone to find him. But not knowing where he is has taken a toll.

“Mom calls my brother and I every night crying,” said Giovanni, 33. “And it’s always that same question. Have you heard any news about Felix?”

The answer is always the same.

Felix’s mother, Wanda Grullon, is in declining health. His children battle depression and anxiety. His brothers say the daily struggle of waking up, getting dressed for work and spending hours scouring the Passaic River and streets of Paterson for him has become mentally exhausting.

But “We will never stop looking for Felix,” Eric said.

N.J. man, 41, remains missing a month later

Haledon man Felix DeJesus was last seen Feb. 2, 2022 and was reported missing the following day, according to police.

Felix, a Puerto Rican father of two, is among more than 521,705 missing people nationwide, including more than 200,000 Black people and an untold number of Hispanics and other minorities.

The day after DeJesus vanished, his family tried to file a missing person’s report with Paterson Police. But officers would not take the information and did not initially acknowledge that its officers had contact with DeJesus. They told the family to file a report with Haledon, where DeJesus lived.

The family has always focused on Paterson, though, distrusting the police version of events.

A Paterson police internal affairs investigation in November found the officers violated 10 departmental policies during their contact with DeJesus. But it stopped short of tying them to his disappearance.

Officers Jacob Feliciano, 21, and Dodi Zorilla, 24, were placed on a 90-day suspension without pay for neglecting duty and breaking the rules for body cameras, patrol procedures, transporting citizens, and preparing and filing reports.

In November, the family’s attorney, Jeff Patti, filed civil and criminal complaints against the officers, but he said the cases were dismissed for a a lack of probable cause. Patti also sued to obtain the release of all evidence in the related missing person investigation. Haledon police have agreed to release some of the requested information.

Haledon Police did not respond to requests for comment. No charges have been filed against the officers.

Paterson City Councilman Michael Jackson said the family needs help and the police department should be held accountable.

“When you have people working against the family and prolonging justice, this becomes the result, he said. “How long is the DeJesus family supposed to wait for answers?”

While they struggle to remain optimistic that DeJesus will be located, family members say the pain grows with each passing day.

“We can’t even go to the park to sit and think about him,” said Felix’s daughter, Mariana DeJesus, 22, of Passaic. “I just want my dad to come home.”

Felix DeJesus is 5 foot 9, 200 pounds, and has a large Puerto Rican flag tattooed across his chest. He was wearing a white T-shirt, black sweatpants and black boots when last seen.

Anyone with information regarding his whereabouts is asked to contact Haledon Police Capt. Guzman at 973-790-4444, the tips line at 1-877-370-PCPO, or email tips@passaaiccountynj.org.

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Deion Johnson may be reached at djohnson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @DeionRJohhnson.

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