The family lived in the Christopher Columbus public housing and owned and operated bodega businesses.

[6][7] He is married to Sonia Torres, who ran in a special election to represent of the 2nd Ward of city's council in 2012.

[6] Torres first became mayor in 2002, winning the seat from Republican incumbent Martin G. Barnes,[10] and won a re-election bid in 2006.

Their role is to advise the mayor on various aspects of city planning and to act as liaisons to Paterson's various ethnic communities.

On July 29, 2008, Torres had written a memo to the city's treasurer "requesting a paycheck for ten (10) vacation days from 2007".

[21] During his last week in office in 2010, Torres received $73,996 lump sum payment claimed for sick leave and vacation time.

[23] After Torres' defeat in the mayoral election he was appointed business administrator for the municipal government of Jackson Township on Ocean County, New Jersey.

[24][25][26] Amid criticism that he had abandoned the position to campaign and to take up his role as mayor of Paterson, he resigned on May 30, 2014.

[28] He was also appointed director of the Bunker Hill Special Improvement District, a business improvement district and Urban Enterprise Zone, established in 1994 in the Bunker Hill neighborhood, a mostly industrial area in the northwest of city along the Passaic River.

Torres filed his pension application in May, one week after winning the mayoral election, at a time when he was working as business administrator in Jackson Township.

The videos showed Paterson municipal employees conducting work at Torres’ personal home and the business of a relative which led to coverage in other press and the start of a state investigation.

[43] Torres and three public works supervisors: Joseph Mania, Timothy Hanlon and Imad Mowaswes were indicted on March 7, 2017 on charges of second-degree official misconduct, pattern of official misconduct, third-degree theft by unlawful taking or disposition, tampering with public records or information and fourth-degree falsifying or tampering with records.