3/16/2023 0 Comments Fortnite sexual![]() ![]() The defendants typically initiated contact based on profiles posted on social media platforms by the undercover detectives and agents. The undercover law enforcement members who conducted the chats with the defendants were specially trained members of the ICAC Task Force. Five men face third-degree charges of attempted sharing obscene materials with a child for allegedly sending photos of their genitals to undercover detectives. Many defendants face additional charges, including second-degree attempted sexual assault on a minor and third-degree attempted debauching the morals of a child. Īll 24 defendants are charged with second-degree luring. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), all 21 County Prosecutors’ Offices, and many other state, county and local law enforcement agencies. The ICAC Task Force includes the Division of Criminal Justice, U.S. The operation was led by the New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice (DCJ), the New Jersey Regional Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, which is led by the New Jersey State Police, and the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office. Instead, they found dozens of law enforcement officers prepared to arrest them and process any evidence seized. Most of the defendants were arrested when they arrived at a house in Toms River, N.J., where they allegedly expected to find their victim home alone. The underage “children” were, in fact, undercover officers. Grewal today announced arrests of 24 alleged child predators in “Operation Open House,” a multi-agency undercover operation targeting men who allegedly were using social media in an attempt to lure underage girls and boys for sexual activity. In an 18 September press release announcing the arrests, the office of Attorney General Gurbir Grewal outlined the basics of Operation Open House and detailed the allegations against the 24 defendants:Īttorney General Gurbir S. However, it has been used by other would-be sexual predators in the past, the state Attorney General's office told us. In reality, despite its phenomenal popularity, Fortnite was not used by any of the 24 men arrested and charged with attempting to lure children for sex online in New Jersey in September 2018. Fortnite was the only app named in the headlines of all three of those articles. ![]() "It is a frightening reality that sexual predators are lurking on social media, ready to strike if they find a child who is vulnerable," Grewal said in describing how the 24 suspects were attempting to lure and elicit sex with teenagers.Īlong with other alarming reports, such as those published by and, NJ.com's article prompted multiple concerned inquiries from readers about the use of gaming apps such as Fortnite by those seeking to groom children for sex. N announcing the arrests of 24 alleged predators, state Attorney General Gurbir Grewal warned the public that people looking to take advantage of young teens and children have more options to do so than ever due to the ever-developing landscape of internet communication. Now, authorities say, some phone apps have opened even more channels of communication between adult predators and minors - including some video games like Fortnite and Minecraft. Then the threat moved online via shady profiles on social media. Cops say parents need to worry":įirst, parents worried about their children being approached by predators at grocery stores and on playgrounds. The multi-agency sting operation, which involved state, local, and federal law enforcement agencies and hinged upon undercover officers posing online as underage girls and boys, prompted a widely-shared report by the NJ.com news website which carried the headline "Predators are using Fortnite to lure kids. In September 2018, a New Jersey-based law enforcement operation codenamed "Operation Open House" yielded 24 arrests of men alleged to have attempted to groom children for sex using mobile chat apps. ![]()
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