N.J. Man Charged in Rosie O'Donnell Daughter's Disappearance Case

BY PATRICIA A. MILLER

A New Jersey man has been charged with endangering the welfare of a child and distribution of obscenity in connection with the recent disappearance of Rosie O’Donnell’s daughter.

Ocean County Prosecutor Joseph D. Coronato announced the arrest of Steven M. Sheerer, 25, of Barnegat, on both third-degree charges. Sheerer faces more than five years in state prison if convicted of both charges.

Chelsea O’Donnell, 17, met Steve Sheerer through the online dating app Tinder. She was apprehended at Sheerer’s Village Drive house Tuesday night in the attic with her therapy dog, Bear, according to Barnegat police. The teen had been reported missing on Sunday after last being seen in Nyack, N.Y., on Aug. 11.

Sheerer has had a prior heroin conviction. Rosie tweeted the news on her Twitter account Wednesday:

Police retrieved Chelsea O’Donnell cellphone with consent from Rosie O’Donnell on Friday morning. Examination of the phone revealed evidence of inappropriate communications over the last several weeks between Sheerer and Chelsea, police said.

Sheerer was arrested at his home at 8:30 p.m. Friday. A search warrant was also executed and a computer and other digital equipment were seized as part of the continuing investigation, police said.

Ocean County Superior Court Judge Phillip M. Miller set Sheerer‘s bail at $40,000 cash. Sheerer is lodged in the Ocean County Jail in Toms River in default of bail. The judge also mandated Nicole‘s Law, which stipulates that Sheerer have no contact with the victim or her family, he said.

Rosie O’Donnell, a Long Island native, lived in Nyack for nearly 20 years before she moved to Saddle River, N.J. in 2013. Chelsea is one of three children the comedian and ex-wife Kelli Carpenter have together.