South Jersey Man Posed As Teenage Boy To Get Underage Girl's Nudes: Prosecutor

COMMERCIAL TOWNSHIP, NJ — A South Jersey man awaiting trial for soliciting explicit photos from underage girls now faces additional charges, authorities said Friday.

After Michael Romig was arrested in mid-December, investigators discovered that he posed as a teenager on social media and developed an online "relationship" with a 15-year-old girl. During that time, he sent the victim nude photographs of himself and told her to send him sexually explicit photos and videos, according to the Cumberland County Prosecutor's Office (CCPO).

Romig, 29, of Commercial Township, was charged earlier this month with several sexual offenses involving children. He has been jailed since Dec. 13 after authorities found he preyed on multiple children to send him explicit images of themselves on Snapchat.

After his arrest, another victim's mother contacted the CCPO and said Romig posed as a teenage boy and developed an online relationship with her 15-year-old daughter. Romig added the victim on Snapchat in December 2022 while claiming to be a 17-year-old boy named Jason, authorities said.

At some point, Romig told the victim his real name and age and convinced her not to tell her parents about him, the CCPO said. They continued to communicate daily until his arrest, according to law enforcement.

Once the victim could no longer contact Romig, she became worried and informed her parents of the suspect's real identity, authorities said. Her mother searched Romig's name online on Dec. 19 and discovered the CCPO's news release about his arrest from days earlier.

Romig last contacted the victim on Dec. 12 — the day before his arrest — authorities said.

He was charged with additional offenses on Dec. 23:

• causing or permitting a child to engage in a prohibited sexual act (first-degree)
• luring or enticing a child (second-degree)
• engaging in sexual conduct that would impair or debauch the morals of a child (third-degree)

He remains incarcerated in the Cumberland County Jail, and the state will move for pretrial detention.

Anyone who may have information relevant to this investigation can contact CCPO Det. Kyle Mecouch at 856-332-4379. Anonymous tips can also be sent through CCPO.TIPS.