N.J. Man Charged In Rosie O'Donnell Daughter's Disappearance Case

The Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office has charged a Barnegat man with endangering the welfare of a child and distribution of obscenity in connection with the recent disappearance of Rosie O’Donnell’s daughter.

Ocean County Prosecutor Joseph D. Coronato today announced the arrest of Steven M. Sheerer, 25, Village Drive, Barnegat, on both third-degree charges. Sheerer faces more than five years in state prison if convicted of both charges.

Chelsea O’Donnell met Steve Sheerer through the online dating app Tinder. She was found at a Village Drive house with Sheerer Tuesday night in the attic with her therapy dog, Bear, according to Barnegat police. Her mother reported that she was missing earlier in the day.

The arrest of Sheerer, who has had a prior heroin conviction history, stems from an investigation by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office High Tech Crime Unit (HTCU), and the Barnegat and Long Beach Township police departments, said spokesman Al Della Fave.

Detectives from the High Tech Crime Unit and Barnegat police retrieved the 17-year-old victim’s cell phone with consent from the victim’s mother on Friday morning. Examination of the phone by the HTCU revealed evidence of inappropriate communications over the last several weeks between Sheerer and the minor. Consultation with Assistant Prosecutor Hillary Bryce resulted in the above charges being signed by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office High Tech Crime Unit.

Sheerer was arrested at his Village Drive home in Barnegat at 8:30 p.m. Friday night. A search warrant was also executed and a computer and other digital equipment were seized as part of the continuing investigation, Della Fave said.

Ocean County Superior Court Judge Phillip M. Miller set Sheerer‘s bail at $40,000 cash. Sheerer is lodged in the Ocean County Jail in Toms River in default of bail. The judge also mandated Nicole‘s Law, which stipulates that Sheerer have no contact with the victim or her family, he said.

Related:

• Rosie O’Donnell’s Missing Daughter Found Safe In N.J.
• Cops: Rosie O’Donnell’s Daughter Found In N.J. With Man Convicted For Heroin
• Barnegat Pair Face Drug, Child Endangerment Charges