Man Admits Flying To Union County To Sexually Assault Child: Cops

UNION COUNTY, NJ — A California man admitted to traveling to Union County to sexually assault an 11-year-old girl, Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal announced.

Ian Brewer, 25, of Pomona, California, pleaded guilty on Thursday with second-degree aggravated sexual assault before Superior Court Judge Joseph P. Donohue in Union County.

Under the plea agreement, the state will recommend that Brewer be sentenced to seven years in state prison. He will be required to register as a sex offender under Megan’s Law and will be subject to parole supervision for life. Sentencing for Brewer is scheduled for Sept. 30 before Superior Court Judge Regina Caulfield.

In December 2019, Brewer began emailing an undercover detective who said Brewer could sexually assault the 11-year-old daughter of his girlfriend, according to Grewal.

The detective pretended that he and his girlfriend were part of a group that met regularly to sexually assault the child, Grewal said.

Brewer agreed to pay a fee of $500 for the weekend to have the girl perform oral sex on him.On Jan. 17, after flying to New Jersey and checking into a hotel room, Brewer was arrested at a restaurant in Elizabeth, where he went to meet the detective and his girlfriend, Grewal said.

Police found $701 in cash on Brewer and numerous condoms in his hotel room, Grewal said.

"It’s alarming to see the great lengths to which predators like Brewer will go to seek children to sexually exploit," said Grewal. "We want parents and guardians to know that online threats to children from such predators have increased as much as 50 percent in New Jersey during the COVID pandemic, as gauged by tips to law enforcement, and those threats are likely to increase this fall as children return to virtual learning, with less or no in-person teacher supervision of their online activity. This guilty plea reflects our commitment to protect children and bring offenders like Brewer to justice."

"Gone are the days when child predators were limited to lurking in neighborhoods or playgrounds. Brewer is an example of how today's predators are not only using more sophisticated technologies, but are networking with other abusers in order to find their next victim," said Colonel Patrick J. Callahan, Superintendent of the New Jersey State Police.

Anyone with information about the distribution of child sexual abuse materials on the internet – or about suspected improper contact by unknown persons communicating with children via the internet or possible exploitation or sexual abuse of children – should contact the New Jersey Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Tipline at 888-648-6007.

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