By: Richard L. Smith
There is an active and ongoing investigation after an Essex County man was arrested and charged in connection with an alleged attempt to engage in explicit conduct with a minor he met online, authorities said.
According to a statement from Camden County Prosecutor Grace C. MacAulay, Fred Newman, 39, of Montclair, has been charged with second-degree attempted explicit contact, two counts of third-degree attempted sending obscene material to a minor, and third-degree attempted endangering the welfare of a minor.
Prosecutors said the investigation began on December 12, 2025, when Newman allegedly started communicating online with someone he believed was a 14-year-old girl.
Authorities said the person he was speaking with was actually an undercover detective with the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office High Tech Crimes Unit.
During the conversations, prosecutors allege Newman sent multiple explicit photos and videos and expressed an interest in engaging in explicit conduct.
Following additional investigation, detectives identified Newman as the person behind the online communication and formally charged him on February 3, 2026, the prosecutor’s office said.
Authorities reported that on February 10, 2026, the U.S. Marshals Service New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force — working with the Newark Division and Camden Division — located Newman in Newark and took him into custody.
He was remanded to the Camden County Correctional Facility.
Anyone with information about this investigation is asked to contact Sergeant John Cochran of the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office High Tech Crimes Unit at (856) 225-8826.
Tips may also be submitted anonymously to CAMDEN.TIPS.