6 North Jersey Teens Charged In Child Porn Case: Prosecutor

Six North Jersey teenagers were charged with distribution of child pornography after an investigation revealed they allegedly took and posted pornographic images of three other teenages on social media accounts.

The teenagers were arrested following an investigation by the county prosecutor and sheriff's offices and the North Haledon and Paterson police departments, said Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes.

Three teenages, a 14-year-old boy and two 15-year-old girls, created social media accounts using a form of the title "Purge," requesting nude photos of other users, Valdes said.

Three other teenagers, three boys ages 14 and 15, provides nude images of three girls, a 13-year-old and two 15-year-olds, on the social media accounts, Valdes said.

The three victims did not consent to their images being posted on the social media accounts, the prosecutor said. Authorities did not say how the teenagers knew each other.

Authorities became aware of the social media accounts and the Passaic County Sheriff's Office Internet Crimes Against Children Unit contacted the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the pages were taken down, Valdes said.

The teenagers who created the social media accounts were charged with possession of child pornography, cyber harassment, distribution of child pornography, maintaining child pornography/file sharing and invasion of privacy, Valdes said.

The teenagers who provided the images were charged with distribution of child pronography, possession of child pornography, invasion of privacy and cyber harassment.

The complaints against the teenagers have been filed with the Family Division of Passaic County Superior Court.

The six teenagers face multiple years of being placed in the custody of the Juvenile Justice Commission if found guilty of the charges.

Send local news tips, photos, and press releases to daniel.hubbard@patch.com. Get Patch breaking news alerts sent right to your phone with our new app. Download here.

Photo via Pixabay