Bloomfield Man Tried To Arrange Sex Encounter With Teen: Prosecutors

BLOOMFIELD, NJ — A Bloomfield resident has been accused of trying to arrange a “sexual encounter” with a person he believed to be a minor, authorities in Monmouth County announced Thursday.

According to the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, here are the allegations against Jonar I. Arenas, 48, of Bloomfield:

“An investigation was initiated in August by a prosecutor’s office detective from the High Tech Bureau, acting in an undercover capacity on a social media app. While monitoring the app, the detective was contacted by another user, later identified as Arenas. After discussions on the app and other forms of communication, Arenas attempted to set up a sexual encounter with a person that he believed was a 14-year-old boy.”

Police arrested Arenas without incident in Freehold Borough on Wednesday. He was charged with second-degree luring, second-degree attempted sexual assault of a minor and third-degree attempted endangering the welfare of a child.

Arenas was transported to the Monmouth County Correctional Institution pending future court proceedings in Monmouth County Superior Court.

A police investigation continues. Authorities said anyone with information can contact the Monmouth County Crime Stoppers anonymous tip line at 1-800-671-4400. Tips can also be submitted online here.

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