Somerville Man, Union Co. Teacher Admits Having Child Porn

SOMERVILLE, NJ — A Somerville man and Union County teacher admitted to having child pornography, Acting U.S. Attorney and Special Attorney Alina Habba announced.

Jack Wilder, 27, of Somerville, pleaded guilty on Monday before Judge Jamel K. Semper to one count of receipt of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography.

He was previously arrested and charged in May with the pornography charges, along with two counts of enticement of a minor.

On or about July 23, 2024, Wilder, a teacher at a school in Plainfield, returned from an international trip aboard a flight that landed in New York.

Authorities seized Wilder’s cell phone at the airport and searched it, uncovering images and videos of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct, according to documents filed in this case and statements made in court.

About one week after law enforcement seized his cell phone, Wilder got a new cell phone. From on or about July 29, 2024, through on or about May 1, 2025, Wilder knowingly received images and videos of child pornography on the second cell phone, said authorities.

Wilder faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 5 years in prison, a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, and a $250,000 fine for the charge of receipt of child pornography.

He also faces a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine on the charge of possession of child pornography.

Sentencing is scheduled for January 26, 2026.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice.

Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) in the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children as well as to identify and rescue victims.

For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit justice.gov/psc.

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