A 25-year-old man has been charged with child pornography and related offenses, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago announced on Friday.
Joseph S. Velazquez, of Passaic, has been charged with second-degree endangering the welfare of a child (distribution of child sexual abuse materials) and third-degree endangering the welfare of a child (possession of child sexual abuse materials).
An investigation into this matter was initiated in February of 2024 by a Prosecutor’s Office detective acting in an undercover capacity on a chat group of the social media network Kik. While monitoring the chat group, the detective was contacted by another user, going by the alias “blazeitupp1” and later identified as Velazquez, who electronically sent files containing child sexual abuse materials and also repeatedly expressed interest in having a sexual encounter with a fictitious child.
Last week, members of the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office, and Passaic County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant at Velazquez’s home in Passaic, and found the child sexual abuse materials leading to the charges against him. Velazquez was arrested and transported to the Monmouth County Correctional Institution (MCCI) pending a detention hearing, tentatively scheduled for Monday, June 24, in Monmouth County Superior Court.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant Prosecutor Joseph Competello of the MCPO High Tech Bureau. Velazquez is being represented by Monika Mastellone, Esq., with an office in Freehold.
Anyone with additional information about Velazquez’s activities is being urged to contact MCPO Detective Anthony Lacher at 800-533-7443.
— Edited press release from the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office
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