Man Used Snapchat To Extort Nude Photos In Mahwah: Prosecutor

MAHWAH, NJ — A Pennsylvania man has been charged with theft by extortion after using social media to elicit nude photos from someone in Mahwah, prosecutors said Thursday.

Jourden Battle, 24, of Tobyhanna, Pa. was arrested on Wednesday, said the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office.

Prosecutors said that in April 2024, members of the Cyber Crimes Unit received information from the Mahwah Police Department and began "an investigation into a pattern of text and online messages that involved an unknown user who utilized various online accounts and phone numbers to extort a victim for nude photos, which began on the popular social media application Snapchat."

A months-long investigation by detectives to trace the phone numbers and online accounts used to contact the victim revealed that they belonged to Battle, prosecutors said.

On Wednesday, Aug. 7, members of the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Cyber Crimes Unit travelled to Tobyhanna and executed a search warrant at Battle’s residence with the coordination and assistance of the Monroe County District Attorney’s Office and the Pocono County Regional Police Department.

Battle was taken to the Monroe County, Pa. Jail pending extradition to Bergen County.