Clark Teacher Who Shared Child Porn Pretended To Be Teen On Social Media: Affidavit

CLARK, NJ — A Clark Middle School teacher, who is accused of having and sharing child sexual abuse material, pretended to be a teenager to speak with others on social media, according to police records.

Matthew Serwedes, 48, of Hillsborough, who was employed as a teacher at Carl H. Kumpf Middle School in Clark at the time, was charged on Tuesday with second-degree distribution of child sexual abuse materials and third-degree possession of child sexual abuse materials.

Authorities received a tip that files depicting child sexual exploitation and/or abuse were uploaded to Kik Messenger by a user with the username: austinwestmore, according to a Affidavit of Probable Cause obtained by Patch.

During an investigation in August 2024, it was found that the IP address used to access this Kik account was subscribed to Serwedes at his home, according to police records.

After being served with a search warrant, Kik turned over data to police that the austinwestmore account was using an online persona purporting to be a 17 or 18-year-old male to chat with other users, according to police.

On Feb. 25, authorities conducted a search at Serwedes' home and electronic devices were seized for further forensic analysis.

Serwedes "admitted to being the owner of the austinwestmore account, utilizing the online persona to communicate with others in various Kik groups, including groups titled for ages 12 -18, and view child sexual exploitation materials," according to the affidavit.

Authorities also offered Serwedes the opportunity to write an apology letter.

"He did so, writing a six-page letter to the victims and parents of this crime," according to police.

On Feb. 25 , Serwedes was taken into custody without incident and taken to the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office.

Clark Schools released a statement following the arrest on Tuesday:

"A Clark middle school teacher was arrested this morning at his home in Somerset County, and the District has been informed that he will be charged with possession and distribution of child pornography. The Somerset County Prosecutor's Office has advised the District that there is no reason to believe that the individual who was arrested had involved any Clark students in his activities.

The teacher was immediately suspended, and arrangements are being made to ensure alternate coverage for his classes without interruption.

The District will cooperate fully with any ongoing investigation by law enforcement officials. As this matter involves both an ongoing criminal investigation and a school district personnel issue, the District is prevented from commenting further."

A preliminary investigation has not revealed any threats or concerns to Serwedes’ students, said Somerset County Prosecutor John P. McDonald, Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Chief of County Detectives Francisco Roman, Jr. and Hillsborough Township Chief of Police Mike McMahon.

Serwedes was lodged in the Somerset County Jail pending a detention hearing on this matter.

The investigation remains ongoing by the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Special Investigation Unit.

Anyone with information relating to this investigation is asked to contact the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Special Investigations Unit at 908-231-7100 or the Hillsborough Township Police Department at 908-369-4323 or via the STOPit app. The STOPit app allows citizens to provide anonymous reports including videos and photos. STOPit can be downloaded to your smart phone for free at the Google Play Store or Apple App Store, access code: SOMERSETNJ.

Information can also be provided through the Somerset County Crime Stoppers’ Tip Line at 1-888-577-TIPS (8477). All anonymous STOPit reports, and Crime Stopper tips will be kept confidential.

Have a news tip? Email alexis.tarrazi@patch.com.