Four New Jersey men have been arrested for allegedly trying to contact children for sex, authorities said Tuesday.
The arrests were part of the Middlesex County’s “Operation Cruel Summer,” a multi-agency undercover effort targeting people suspected of using social media to lure underage children for sexual activity, Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone said.
Officials say the four men, ranging in age from 27 to 65, thought they were exchanging social media messages with “underage children” when they were, instead, chatting with undercover agents posing as minors.
The four men were arrested earlier this month after arriving at a location in East Brunswick where they expected to meet the child.
Two Jersey City men — 41-year-old Mohamed Mohamed and 32-year-old Maylar Baron — were charged with second-degree luring. Baron was also charged with distributing obscene material to a minor and criminal attempt – endangering sexual conduct with a child.
Peter Wissemann, 27, of Colonia, and Edgar Rivera, 65, of Piscataway, were both charged with luring and endangering sexual conduct with a child.
“Cruel Summer” was led by the Internet Crimes Against Children Unit of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office with the assistance of multiple local police departments, the U.S. Secret Service and the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office.
“This operation’s success is a beacon of hope for our community and a stark warning to those who attempt to victimize our most vulnerable population: we will relentlessly pursue justice,” East Brunswick Police Chief Frank LoSacco said in a statement.
The investigation is still ongoing, officials said. Anyone with information is asked to call the Internet Crimes Against Children Unit of The Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office at (732) 745-3300.
