Child Porn Charges For Ex-Teaching Assistant From Bloomfield

BLOOMFIELD, NJ — A 53-year-old Bloomfield man has been accused of distributing and possessing child pornography, state prosecutors announced Wednesday.

Between March 18 and July 31, police arrested almost two dozen people as part of a statewide bust dubbed “Operation Screen Capture.” Three people – two men and one woman – were charged with sexually assaulting or attempting to sexually assault children, according to the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General.

Prosecutors said that 18 people were also charged with endangering the welfare of children for possession and/or distribution of “child sexual abuse materials.” In many cases, the items included “child rape videos,” authorities said.

The arrestees included Raymond Radziewicz, 53, of Bloomfield, a former teaching assistant at a child care center who was terminated as a result of his arrest on July 7, prosecutors said.

Radziewicz was charged with Distribution of Child Pornography (2nd degree) and Possession of Child Pornography (3rd degree).

Attorney General Gurbir Grewal said there has been a “dramatic increase” in reports of potential threats to children from online predators during the coronavirus pandemic.

Prosecutors said:

“Cyber tips to the New Jersey Regional Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force about potential threats to children online – including tips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) – have increased up to 50 percent in New Jersey since the COVID emergency began in March, compared to the same time frame last year. Many cases in this operation stemmed from cyber tips from NCMEC, but others involved undercover chat investigations where perpetrators were attempting to meet children or other individuals online in order to sexually assault children.”

“As children return to virtual learning this fall, they will be spending even more time online, in many cases without any in-person teacher supervision or peer contact,” Grewal said. “This may make them even more vulnerable.”

“As we highlighted in a recent virtual town hall with the State Police and Department of Children and Families, we want everyone to know that there are resources to help children who are struggling with social isolation or who may be victims of trauma or abuse,” Grewal added.

Operation Screen Capture was led by the Division of Criminal Justice, New Jersey State Police, ICAC Task Force, U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office, Camden County Prosecutor’s Office, Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office, Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office, Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office, Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office and Sussex County Prosecutor’s Office.

The New Jersey State Parole Board assisted with arrests and search warrants, prosecutors said.

Keep updated with local public safety alerts at the Patch Bloomfield Facebook page. Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com