UPDATED MAY 13, 2021, @ noon —
A 20-year-old man has been arrested by the Kearny Police Department following an 11-month-long investigation into his alleged use of child pornography, Kearny Police Chief George King announced.
The arrest of Justin T. Davidson, 20, of Kearny, came as the culmination of a nearly year-long investigation by the Kearny PD’s Detective Bureau that was opened in early June 2020, based on numerous public social media posts alleging several local residents had been subjected to harassing or sexually objectionable behavior by “a certain Kearny man,” the police said.
The investigation, King said, reportedly uncovered many instances where Davidson is alleged to have contacted victims via social media platforms Instagram and Snapchat and arranged to receive sexually explicit images of them.
Following the investigation, on May 12, 2021, warrants were issued charging Davidson with the following crimes:
- Against a 19-year-old female victim: criminal sexual contact in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:14-3b, a fourth degree crime; lewdness in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:14-4a, a disorderly persons offense; and cyber harassment in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:33-4.1, a fourth degree crime.
- Against a 15-year-old female victim: endangering the welfare of a child in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:24-4b(3), a first degree crime; and endangering the welfare of a child in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:24-4a(2), a third degree crime.
- Against a 16-year-old female victim: endangering the welfare of a child in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:24-4b(3), a first degree crime; and endangering the welfare of a child in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:24-4a(2), a third degree crime.
- Against a 15-year-old female victim: endangering the welfare of a child in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:24-4b(3), a first degree crime; and endangering the welfare of a child in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:24-4a(2), a third degree crime.
- Against a 16-year-old female victim: endangering the welfare of a child in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:24-4b(3), a first degree crime; and endangering the welfare of a child in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:24-4a(2), a third degree crime.
- Against a 17-year-old female victim: endangering the welfare of a child in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:24-4b(3), a first degree crime; and endangering the welfare of a child in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:24-4a(2), a third degree crime.
- Against a 15-year-old female victim: endangering the welfare of a child in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:24-4b(3), a first degree crime; criminal coercion in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:13-5, a third degree crime; lewdness in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:14-4, a disorderly persons offense; cyber harassment in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:33- 4.1, a fourth degree crime; and endangering the welfare of a child in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:24-4a(2), a third degree crime.
- Against a 17-year-old female victim: endangering the welfare of a child in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:24-4b(3), a first degree crime; lewdness in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:14-4a, a disorderly persons offense; cyber harassment in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:33-4.1, a endangering the welfare of a child 2C:24-4a(2), a third degree crime.
- Against the state: endangering the welfare of a child (possession of child pornography) in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:24-4b(5)(b), a third degree crime; and tampering with evidence in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:28-6, a fourth degree crime.
Detectives arrested Davidson on May 12 without incident at his job in Glen Rock, where he is believed to be an auto mechanic, police said.
He was remanded to the Hudson County Correctional Center, South Kearny, pending his first court appearance.
Chief King extends his gratitude to Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez, her office’s Special Victims Unit and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, for their assistance in this investigation.
“Det. John Fabula and other detectives in the Detective Bureau did an outstanding job with this case,” King said. “It was very extensive what they had to do — very complicated. Their work was extensive and professional and it required a lot of patience. I am very proud of their work.”
Police say they believe it is possible there are more victims who have not yet come forward, Therefore, anyone wishing to report information pertaining to this case should contact Det. Fabula of the Kearny Police Department at (201) 998-1313, ext. 2833, or by email at jfabula@kearnynjpd.org.
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Kevin A. Canessa Jr. is the editor of and broadcaster at The Observer, a place where he has served on and off since 2006. He is responsible for the editorial content of the newspaper and website, the production of the e-Newspaper, writing several stories per week (including the weekly editorial), conducting live broadcasts on Facebook Live, including a weekly recap of the news — and much more behind the scenes. Between 2006 and 2008, he introduced the newspaper to its first-ever blog — which included podcasts, audio and video. Originally from Jersey City, Kevin lived in Kearny until 2004, lived in Port St. Lucie. Florida, for four years until February 2016 and in March of that year, he moved back to West Hudson to return to The Observer full time. Click Here to send Kevin an email.