NJ Mom Accused Of Abusing 'Runaway' East Orange Teen

EAST ORANGE, NJ — “I cannot imagine what she might be going through … being away from her family who loves her very much … if anybody knows anything, please, please come forward.”

That was the plea from Jamie Moore as she stood alongside a crowd of police officers and prosecutors at a news conference in East Orange earlier this month, begging for the return of her missing teenage daughter.

Her tearful outcry tore at the hearts of many residents across Essex County and New Jersey, some of whom contributed thousands of dollars to aid a statewide search.

Now – after the teen has been found safe – the case has taken another twist with accusations of child abuse and endangerment against the mother who recently said she was living “every parent’s nightmare.”

The disappearance of Jashyah Moore, 14, of East Orange, set off a massive search from local, state and federal authorities, as well as a fevered community effort to find her. East Orange police, the FBI and the NJ State Police worked in collaboration to help find the missing teen, with the Essex County Prosecutor's Office later spearheading the investigation.

The search paid off, prosecutors announced Friday; Moore was safely located in a New York City shelter.

"The young lady appears to have run away," Acting Essex County Prosecutor Theodore Stephens said, adding that she apparently "did not want to make herself known."

The prosecutor said that an Amber Alert was never issued because authorities need to believe that someone has been abducted, and investigators "never saw anything that really led us to that conclusion." However, Stephens added that charges were possibly in the pipeline against a person in the case, who he declined to name.

After promising to follow up with more details the next day, authorities finally revealed the identity of the person they had been filing charges against: her mother.

• See related article: Missing NJ Girl Found; Mom Charged With Endangerment

Jamie A. Moore, 39, was charged with two counts of second degree endangering the welfare of a child. The endangering charges include allegations of physical abuse and neglect, Stephens and East Orange Police Chief Phyllis Bindi said in a joint statement.

A criminal complaint against Moore filed in Essex County alleges that she cut her daughter on the shoulder, sprayed bleach in her eyes, pulled her braids out, and hit her with objects including a frying pan. Moore also allegedly sent the teen out to panhandle.

The complaint also alleges that on the day Moore’s daughter ran away, she scolded her for misplacing a grocery card, grabbed her by the neck and told her not to come home until she found the card.

Moore is also accused of forcing her daughter to log out of online school during the 2020-21 school year, and failing to enroll her in school during the 2021-22 school year when they moved to another town, prosecutors said.

The accusations against Moore contradict statements she made during a news conference with authorities on Nov. 5 (see video below).

Moore was arrested Friday, authorities said. She is being held at the Essex County Correctional Facility in Newark pending a court appearance.

Moore's daughter and 3-year-old son have been removed from her custody by the New Jersey Division of Child Protection and Permanency (DCCP), authorities said.

Moore is being held at the Essex County Correctional Facility in Newark. She is scheduled to appear in court for a detention hearing on Wednesday.

In a GoFundMe campaign released earlier this month to raise money for the search, Moore described the situation as "every parent's nightmare."

"As a mother, there are no words that can describe what my family and I are going through," Moore wrote. "It's hard to eat, sleep or even function with every day that passes. I just want my baby back home with her loving family laughing playing her PS4 with her little brother."

• See related article: Mother Of Missing New Jersey Girl: 'Help Bring Our Baby Home'

Authorities said that no case involving Moore had been opened with the DCCP prior to the teen’s disappearance.

According to Essex County Sheriff Armando Fontoura, the reward money offered for Moore's safe return – which increased to $20,000 after multiple local businesses offered contributions – hasn't been claimed as of Friday.

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