Union County Teacher Charged With Child Porn, Enticing Minor

PLAINFIELD, NJ — A Union County teacher and Somerset County man was charged with having images of child sexual abuse and for enticing a minor to engage in prostitution and produce child pornography, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced Thursday.

Jack Wilder, 26, of Somerville, who is also a history teacher at a charter school in Plainfield, was charged by complaint with one count of possession of child pornography and two counts of enticement of a minor. He was taken in on Thursday morning and made his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael A. Hammer in Newark federal court.

In or around February 2024, Wilder communicated with a minor victim using a mobile payment application through which he said he would pay the minor victim to engage in sexual activity, according to documents filed in this case and statements made in court.

The minor victim also sent Wilder sexually explicit pictures, according to authorities.

On or about July 23, 2024, when Wilder returned from an international trip from Iceland aboard a flight that landed in New York, law enforcement lawfully searched Wilder’s cell phone and found a video depicting child sexual abuse material and sexually explicit conversations between Wilder and other people who identified themselves as minors, said authorities.

"These charges are the most recent example of this office’s dedication to protecting children in our community," Habba said. "We are tirelessly committed to working with our law enforcement partners to ensure that individuals who victimize and prey on the vulnerable are brought to justice."

"Our children are the most innocent members of society and they should never be victimized by anyone, particularly by those in positions of trust such as teachers," said Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Newark Special Agent in Charge Ricky J. Patel. "In partnership with the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey, every child has our unwavering commitment to bring to justice those that would heinously abuse them for their own profit and perverse self-gratification. No child should have to face a lifetime of trauma caused by a predator. We will continue to make combatting child sexual exploitation a priority, and will always strive to put an end to these disturbing acts from happening around the world."

Wilder faces a maximum potential penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for the charge of possession of child pornography.

He also faces a statutory mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison, a maximum potential penalty of life imprisonment, and a $250,000 fine for the charges of enticement of a minor.

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