Man Kidnapped Wayne Child He Met Through Online Video Game: Prosecutor

This story was updated with a statement from Roblox, and clarification from the county prosecutor's office.

WAYNE, NJ — After an 11-year-old Wayne girl was reported missing last month, officials said they found her in Delaware with a man she had met playing a video game online.

The Passaic County Prosecutor’s office has charged that man, 27-year-old Darius Matylewich, with first-degree kidnapping and third-degree endangering the welfare of a child. Officials said Matylewich took the child from Wayne to Bear, DE "without the knowledge or consent of her parents" in September.

The parents reported the child missing at 6:45 a..m. on Sept. 10, according to a news release from Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes' office. Wayne Police located the victim "soon after she was reported missing," Valdes said in a joint news release with Wayne Police Chief Jack McNiff and New Castle County, DE Police Chief Joseph S. Bloch.

New Castle County police arrested Matylewich on Sept. 10 and he was extradited to New Jersey, officials said.

Officials first told Patch that Matylewich met the child on the Roblox online game platform, which the company denied. A spokesperson from the Passaic County Prosecutor's Office later clarified "that the victim and the defendant communicated on several online gaming platforms, including Roblox. "

The Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office has filed a motion for pretrial detention, which a judge will hear on Oct. 16 according to officials. Anyone with additional information about this incident, or other incidents involving Matylewich, is asked to contact the prosecutor's office tips line at 1-877-370-PCPO.

In a statement, Roblox said an internal investigation showed the suspect and victim had not met on their platform, and that they had contacted local authorities about this investigation.

"We work tirelessly to prevent grooming on our platform and have a team of thousands of moderators who enforce a strict set of community standards on Roblox, including zero tolerance for sexual content of any kind," the company said. "We also have a number of dedicated features designed to keep kids safe including filtering text chat on the platform to block inappropriate content or personal information and offering parental controls and features to limit or turn off chat. Users can also mute or block players that they come across in games and report inappropriate content or behavior using our Report Abuse system."