Union County Man Arrested For Attempting Sexual Encounter With A Minor

After a three-week investigation led by the Linden Police Department, Philip Verrinder, 38, was arrested for attempting a sexual encounter with a minor. 

According to the Union County Prosecutor's Office: 

A Linden man has been arrested and charged with attempting to arrange a sexual encounter with an underage male, acting Union County Prosecutor Grace H. Park announced Wednesday.

Phillip Verrinder, 38, is charged with second-degree luring, with bail set at $100,000 by state Superior Court Judge Frederic R. McDaniel.

Verrinder was arrested Tuesday in Rahway River Park following a three-week undercover investigation launched by the Linden Police Department and supported by the Prosecutor’s Office’s High Tech Crimes Unit. He was expected to be lodged in Union County Jail, with a first appearance scheduled for later this week.

“This was a true collaborative effort by the Linden Police Department and the Union County Prosecutor’s Office that resulted in the removal of a sexual predator from our streets,” Linden Police Chief James Schulhafer said.

Second-degree crimes typically result in terms of 5 to 10 years in state 
prison.

This investigation remains active. Anyone with additional information 
about Verrinder’s activities is being urged to contact Linden Police Detective 
Steve Zevlikaris at 908-474-8520.

These criminal charges are mere accusations. Each defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.