Sayreville Man Met "Boy," 14, At Convenience Store For Sex: AG

SAYREVILLE, NJ — A Sayreville man was arrested last Wednesday for allegedly attempting to lure a 14-year-old boy he met through social media to his home for a sexual encounter. The “boy” in reality was an undercover detective of the New Jersey State Police.

Craig M. Dimonda, 37, of Sayreville, was arrested Wednesday, Aug. 8, in Sayreville by members of the New Jersey State Police on a charge of second-degree attempted luring of a child. Dimonda is being held in the Middlesex County Jail pending a detention hearing. Dimonda is pictured above in a photo provided by the NJ Attorney General's office.

Earlier this year, an undercover detective from the New Jersey State Police Digital Technology Investigations Unit (DTIU) encountered Dimonda on social media. It is alleged that Dimonda, who believed the undercover detective was a 14-year-old boy, communicated with the “boy” via text messages for a period of approximately three months, outlining his desire to engage in various sexual activities with the “boy” and watch pornography together. Ultimately, Dimonda allegedly asked the boy to meet him on Wednesday morning at a convenience store in Sayreville, so he could take him back to his residence to engage in sexual activity.

Upon his arrival at the convenience store, Dimonda was arrested by State Police detectives. He was charged and subsequently lodged in jail.

“Sexual predators frequently use social media apps in their search for potential underage victims, and that is why law enforcement and parents need to be vigilant to protect children from those who might use these apps to try to lure and sexually exploit them,” said Attorney General Grewal. “The State Police, the Division of Criminal Justice, and our partners on the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force are working tirelessly to protect children through these proactive investigations.”

“This case underscores the reality that when children go online, they have direct and immediate access to complete strangers, which often places unsuspecting children at tremendous risk,” said Colonel Patrick Callahan, Acting Superintendent of the New Jersey State Police. “Most of us have an image of sexual predators lurking around playgrounds or in dark alleys seeking out their potential victims, but the reality is that children who meet and ‘chat’ with strangers online are easy prey for internet predators who have ready and anonymous access to children online, where such predators roam without limits. I commend all of those partners and detectives involved for a phenomenal job in protecting our society’s most vulnerable citizens.”

Second-degree crimes carry a sentence of five to 10 years in state prison and a fine of up to $150,000. The complaint filed against Dimonda is merely an accusation and he is presumed innocent until proven guilty. Because the charge is an indictable offense, the case will be presented to a grand jury for potential indictment.

In addition to investigating cyber tips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, members of the New Jersey State Police Digital Technology Investigations Unit, the Division of Criminal Justice Financial & Computer Crimes Bureau, and the New Jersey Regional Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force routinely conduct undercover chat investigations on social media platforms leading to arrests of hands-on offenders and defendants attempting to lure children. They also conduct proactive investigations to apprehend offenders by monitoring peer-to-peer file-sharing networks and identifying the IP addresses of individuals sharing child pornography.

Photo provided by the office of New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal.