Man Who Thought He Was Meeting Teen For Sex In Bergen County Learns His Fate

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — A Stanhope man has been sentenced to seven years in prison after he allegedly tried to meet an undercover police officer — posing online as a 14-year-old — for sex, officials said Friday.

Back in April of 2019, according to the New Jersey Attorney General's Office, Larry M. Noel used social media to chat with an officer who was undercover as part of "Operation Home Alone."

Via the app Adam4Adam, Noel claimed to be 29, asked if the child wanted to meet, and "indicated he would like to perform sexual acts on them," prosecutors say.

A warrant filed in 2019 says that Noel, calling himself "MorrisNoel" on the app, intended to commit an act of sexual penetration. Upon being told the boy was 14, he allegedly replied, "Oh OK."

During a trial in November, officials said Noel arranged to meet the “child” at a location in Bergen County. When he arrived, he was arrested.

After the November jury trial, Noel was convicted of one count each of second-degree luring, second-degree attempted sexual assault, and third-degree attempted endangering the welfare of a child.

Bergen County Superior Court Judge Christopher Kazlau sentenced Noel on March 27. In addition to prison time, he'll be subject to lifetime parole supervision.

He also must register as a sex offender under Megan’s Law after he leaves prison.

“Protecting our children, especially from sexual violence, is a top priority of our office,” said Attorney General Jennifer Davenport. “The sentence handed down makes clear that attempting to hurt a child will never be tolerated. Our law enforcement partners did an excellent job in stopping the defendant before he could do more harm.”