Wayne Mello Appointed Acting Hudson County Prosecutor: Attorney General Platkin

By Jillian Pikora From Daily Voice

A veteran prosecutor known for trying high-profile murder cases has been tapped to lead the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin announced on Saturday, Aug. 2.

Wayne Mello, who has served as Hudson County’s First Assistant Prosecutor since 2016, officially assumed the role of Acting Prosecutor on Thursday, July 31, according to Platkin.

He succeeds Esther Suarez, who retired Friday, Aug. 1, after nearly a decade in the post. Mello will now oversee about 70 assistant prosecutors and more than 100 detectives investigating violent crime, gun violence, narcotics, cybercrimes, gang activity, and other major offenses.

“As Acting Hudson County Prosecutor, Wayne Mello will bring valuable prosecutorial and leadership experience, institutional knowledge, and continuity,” Platkin said in the announcement. “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 to lead the fight for justice for the people of Hudson County.”

Mello, a St. Peter’s University and Rutgers School of Law graduate, previously served in the Morris and Bergen County Prosecutor’s Offices. While in Bergen County, he worked as Chief Homicide Assistant Prosecutor and secured convictions in several headline-making cases.

Among them was the 2006 Ramsey homicide involving defendant Edward Ates, who was convicted of fatally shooting his former son-in-law, Paul Duncsak. Mello also prosecuted the case of Jody Ann Scharf, whose husband, Stephen Scharf, was convicted of murder in her 1992 death after a 2004 reinvestigation determined she had been pushed from a cliff at Palisades Interstate Park.

“I am profoundly grateful and honored to be asked by Attorney General Platkin to serve in this position,” Mello said in the release. “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.”

Mello, admitted to the New Jersey Bar in 1977, also served as an Infantry First Lieutenant in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War.