Somerset County Prosecutor Michael H. Robertson, Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Chief of County Detectives John W. Fodor and Franklin Township Chief of Police Richard A. Grammar announced the arrest of Thomas McKernan, 31 of Colonial Court, Staten Island, New York.
Prosecutor Robertson stated on May 10, at approximately 11:35 AM, after a month-long chat investigation that involved sexually-explicit communications, defendant McKernan traveled to a coffee shop on Cedar Grove Lane in the Somerset section of Franklin Township to engage in sexual activity with what he believed to be a 13-year old female but was, in fact, an undercover detective.
Shortly after arriving, defendant McKernan was arrested without incident by personnel from the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Special Investigations Unit and the Franklin Township Police Department Detective Bureau.
Prosecutor Robertson stated that during the chat conversations which were initiated by defendant McKernan, the undercover detective clearly identified herself as an underage girl and defendant McKernan engaged in conversations about sex and made arrangements to meet for sex.
Prosecutor Robertson stated that, “it is a priority of the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office to protect our children from online predators who are taking advantage of the Internet’s anonymity and the access it allows to our children.” He stressed that law enforcement in Somerset County will be targeting social media platforms and chat applications being used by minor predators to exploit and lure minor for sex.
Prosecutor Robertson stated that defendant McKernan was charged with 2nd degree Luring, 2nd degree Attempted Sexual Assault, 3rd degree Attempted Endangering the Welfare of a Minor, and 3rd degree Attempt to Promote Obscene Materials and was lodged at the Somerset County Jail pending a detention hearing.