NJ Child Charged With Child Pornography Distribution

NEW JERSEY — A Bergen County person under 18 was arrested last week on charges relating to the possession and distribution of child pornography, authorities said.

The person, who was not identified, was charged with second-degree distribution of child pornography, second-degree possession of child pornography and third-degree invasion of privacy, the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office said.

The person was taken into protective custody and charged as a juvenile delinquent. The person was released into the custody of a guardian and was scheduled for a first appearance in the Chancery Division, Family Court in Hackensack. Officials released no details about the person.

The charges stemmed from an internet child pornography investigation by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Cyber Crimes Unit, which searched the person's residence Thursday, according to Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella.

The person was accused of using the internet to view, download and possess more than 1,000 digital files depicting nude or sexually explicit pre-pubescent and pubescent children, Musella said.

The person was also accused of using the Internet to share digital files depicting nude or sexually explicit pre-pubescent and pubescent children and using a smartphone camera to record and view an area of a public bathroom., Musella added.