A Saturday morning trip to a bus stop turned violent for a Newark nun, and police say the man accused of attacking her went on to commit an even more serious assault roughly 30 minutes later.
Faheem Green, 25, of Newark, was arrested after detectives connected him to two July 11, 2026, robberies through surveillance footage from both locations, according to the Newark Department of Public Safety. The first victim was a nun heading to work, while the second was a woman who had just stepped off a bus. Both women were taken to University Hospital and reported to be in stable condition.
Authorities have charged Green with multiple offenses, including robbery, aggravated sexual assault, aggravated assault, attempted murder, and criminal restraint. The accusations have shaken members of a Newark church community, where the nun continued serving others shortly after the attack.
Sister Julia Was Walking to Work When the Morning Turned Violent
The first attack occurred at approximately 7:30 a.m. near Orange Street and South 11th Street, police said.
Sister Julia, a nun associated with St. Rose of Lima Church, was walking toward a bus stop. She planned to travel to her job at a nearby nursing home, according to News 12 New Jersey. It was the kind of ordinary morning routine that rarely attracts attention until something goes terribly wrong.
Police said a man approached Sister Julia and struck her with a closed fist, knocking her to the ground. Sister Julia later told News 12 that she was pushed down, punched twice, and robbed of her purse.
The attacker then fled, leaving the injured nun on the street. Emergency workers transported her to University Hospital, where authorities said she was in stable condition.
Despite the frightening encounter, Sister Julia was reportedly back serving the community within days. Her quick return offered a small measure of relief to parishioners, but it did little to erase the fear created by the attack.
Pastor Marco Hurtado-Olazo of St. Rose of Lima said the church would respond by strengthening security around its property.
“We’re going to install cameras. I called the diocese. This is going to be a bunker. We have no choice,” Hurtado-Olazo told News 12. “This area was improving. That’s the sad thing.”
His reaction captured the frustration felt by many people in the neighborhood. A nun who spent her days helping church members and nursing home residents had been attacked while simply trying to reach a bus stop.
Police Say a Second Woman Was Attacked About 30 Minutes Later
At approximately 8 a.m., another woman got off a bus near Hudson Street and Central Avenue, according to police. Authorities said a man followed her before pulling out a handgun and demanding her purse.
The woman surrendered her belongings, but the violence allegedly continued.
Police said the attacker struck her in the face with the handgun, forced her to the ground and pressed against her neck until she lost consciousness. When the woman regained consciousness, she realized she had been sexually assaulted, investigators said.
She was also transported to University Hospital and was reported in stable condition at the time authorities announced the arrest.
Because the victim has not been publicly identified, details about her recovery have remained limited. Police have appropriately kept her name private, disclosing only the information necessary for the criminal investigation.
The accusations in the second case are substantially more serious than those in the first robbery. Green faces charges of robbery, aggravated sexual assault during the commission of a felony, aggravated assault, attempted murder, and criminal restraint in connection with the second attack. He also faces a robbery charge related to the assault on Sister Julia.
The two attacks occurred within a relatively small window of time and involved women traveling through Newark early in the morning. Detectives reviewed surveillance video from both scenes and identified Green as the suspect, according to Public Safety Director Emanuel Miranda Sr.
Surveillance Video Helped Detectives Make a Same-Day Arrest
Police arrested Green on the same day the attacks occurred, a rapid development that Newark officials credited to the work of Major Crimes detectives.
“I commend our Major Crimes detectives for their diligence in identifying and apprehending this suspect on the same day that these incidents occurred,” Miranda said. “Every Newark resident and visitor can feel safer due to this suspect being off our streets.”
The arrest brought some immediate relief, especially around St. Rose of Lima, but the case is now entering the court system. The charges describe what police and prosecutors allege happened. Green is presumed innocent unless and until he is found guilty in court.
The case also serves as a reminder of how important surveillance cameras can be during fast-moving investigations. In this instance, police said footage from two separate locations helped detectives connect the attacks and identify a suspect within hours.
For Sister Julia, returning to her community work may be an act of determination after a frightening morning. For the second woman, whose identity remains protected, the path forward will likely remain private.
What happened on July 11 began as two ordinary journeys through Newark. One woman was heading to work, and another had just gotten off a bus. Police say both were targeted within half an hour, leaving a neighborhood shaken and a 25-year-old man facing some of the most serious charges allowed under New Jersey law.
