Wayne Man, 30 Others, Charged In NJ Child Exploitation Sting

WAYNE, NJ — A Wayne restaurant manager is one of 31 people charged with sexually exploiting minors online, the Attorney General's Office announced this week. Those arrests are part of a statewide sting hoping to crackdown on alleged sexual offenders.

Billed as Operation 24/7, the sting was "a collaborative operation launched to address the continued spike in reports of potential threats to children from online predators during the COVID pandemic," the AG's office said.

Johnathan Valencia, 36, of Wayne, was arrested on May 4 and charged with distribution of child sexual abuse material and possession of child sexual abuse material.

The distribution charge carries a sentence of five to 10 years in state prison and a fine up to $150,00, while the possession charge carries a sentence of three to five years, and a fine of up to $15,000.

The men arrested in the three-month operation range in age from 18 to 65, and their charges vary from attempted human trafficking and sexual assault to criminal sexual contact and manufacturing child sexual abuse material. Many of those materials include child rape videos, the AG's Office said.

According to state officials, the New Jersey Regional Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force received 3,324 tips about threats to children online in the first six months of 2021. That number is 39 percent higher than the total amount of tips in 2019, and is on pace to exceed the total for 2020.

Technology continues to be a place for children to be at risk, state officials said.

"With young people continuing to spend more time on their electronic devices due to the COVID pandemic, we must remain vigilant. We urge parents and guardians to warn children about the threats that exist on social media and popular gaming sites, and to watch for signs that a child has been subjected to online abuse," said Attorney General Gurbir Grewal.

In past cases, the ICAC task force has arrested alleged child predators who used chat apps like Grindr and Tinder, but arrests have also been made which involved video games like Fortnite and Minecraft.

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