Police officers arrested a Mahwah New Jersey priest who allegedly distributed child pornography from his vacation home in Pennsylvania.
The suspect, a 54-year-old Mahwah NJ resident who served as a Roman Catholic priest at Holy Spirit Roman Catholic Church in Union NJ, has been accused of uploading child pornography to the Internet. He allegedly uploaded several illicit images of juveniles by using a computer at his summer vacation home in Lehigh Township, PA.
Authorities in Wayne County, PA started an investigation into the suspect after getting a tip about the alleged sexual offenses. Investigators later determined that the IP address used to upload the illegal sexual images was registered in the suspect’s name.
Toms River police then arrested the suspect at a local residence. The suspect is currently being held at the Ocean County Jail in Toms River, New Jersey. He is still awaiting extradition to Pennsylvania, where he faces criminal charges that include 40 counts of sexual abuse of minors, 20 counts of disseminating child pornography, and 20 counts of possessing child pornography. The suspect also faces criminal charges for being a fugitive from justice because he allegedly failed to turn himself in to authorities.
According to church officials, the suspect has been removed from his role as a priest at his Union parish.
For additional information about this case, read the NJ.com article, “N.J. Priest Charged with Possession of Child Pornography.”