On the heels of a cyber tip to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), a Hazlet man has been arrested and is facing child pornography charges, Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher Gramiccioni announced.

A five-month investigation that involved detectives from both Monmouth and Union counties culminated with the arrest today of 48-year-old Joseph A. Campos on the charges of third-degree possession of child pornography and second-degree distribution of child pornography, one count each.

Campos was employed as a Child Study Team learning disabilities consultant with the Perth Amboy Board of Education.

A joint investigation was conducted over a five-month period by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office Computer Crimes Unit and its Monmouth County Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, Bradley Beach, Hazlet and Manalapan Township police departments, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, with assistance from the Union County Prosecutor’s Office.

The investigation was sparked by a tip received by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) from an online service company. NCMEC forwarded the tip to the New Jersey ICAC Regional Task Force before the referral was made to the Prosecutor’s Office for investigation.

As a result of the joint investigation, Campos was arrested and charged on Thursday. Campos was released this morning, following his initial appearance before Monmouth County Superior Court Judge James Newman.

He was released under the conditions he report to probation on a monthly basis. He was also barred from using the internet and ordered to have no unsupervised contact with children. The Perth Amboy School District was informed of the results of the investigation.

If convicted of possession of child pornography, Campos faces a sentence of three to five years in prison. If convicted of distribution of child pornography, he faces a sentence of five to 10 years in prison. If convicted, Campos could also be subject Community Parole for Life and may be required under Megan’s Law to register with the New Jersey Sex Offender Registry.