By: Yuritza Arroyo
Authorities in Hudson County announced that on Wednesday, January 18, the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force arrested a West New York man following an investigation into explicit imaged of minors being shared through social media.
According to officials, Joseph Suarez, 31, is charged with Endangering the Welfare of a Child/Facilitating Child Sex Abuse Material, a crime of the first degree; Endangering the Welfare of a Child/Distribution of Child Sex Abuse Material, a crime of the second degree; and Endangering the Welfare of a Child/Possession of Explicit Sex Images of Minors a crime of the second degree.
Authorities say he was arrested at the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office in Secaucus and transported to the Hudson County Correctional Facility pending his first court appearance.
On January 10, the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force received information that child sex abuse material was being created and shared through the social media platform Discord.
According to the investigation, it was revealed that Joseph Suarez communicated with a 13-year-old boy out of state and instructed him to provide images and videos of himself committing sex acts on a 4-year-old girl.
Following a court-authorized search of Joseph Suarez’s residence, over 1,000 files of child sex abuse material were seized.
The investigation is ongoing, and additional charges may follow.