Morris Co. Man Distributed Child Porn Via Messaging App, Prosecutors Say

MORRIS COUNTY, NJ — A Montville man was arrested and charged after an investigation showed he owned and distributed child pornography, according to the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office.

Matthew Mannarano, 34, from Towaco, was arrested on June 11 and charged with distributing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and possessing CSAM, both of which fall under the charge of endangering the welfare of a child.

An investigation began after officials received a CyberTip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) implying that Mannarano was distributing abusive and sexually exploitative media files via a popular messaging app called Kik, police said.

According to court documents, at least one incident occurred regarding the distribution of child porn in October of last year.

After being arrested and processed, Mannarano was released due to the Criminal Justice Reform, with “pretrial release conditions that include no unsupervised contact with children,” officials said.

Mannarano is represented by Brian J. Neary, according to NJ court sites.

He is currently awaiting court proceedings, which have not been scheduled yet according to court documents.