Update at 12:25 p.m.: Records indicate Lewis was released by court order today.
A Harrison man training to become a special law-enforcement officer with the Harrison Police Department and who currently serves as a civilian public safety dispatcher in town has been arrested and charged with the possession of more than 1,000 images depicting child pornography, the Secaucus Police Department said.
In 2022, detectives from Secaucus joined the ranks of Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force New Jersey, which is led by the New Jersey State Police. In October, the department received a tip a file depicting child sexual abuse material was viewed/uploaded to an account that was logged into via an IP address that hit off of a cellular tower in Secaucus.
The investigation spearheaded by Detective Kristen Bronowich revealed Jason D. Lewis, of Harrison, was the possessor of this file, depicting child sexual abuse material and it further revealed his jobs in Harrison.
On Dec. 7, members of the Secaucus police Detective Division, assisted by the New Jersey State Police I.C.A.C. Unit and Harrison Police Department Internal Affairs Unit, executed a court-authorized search of Lewis’ Cleveland Avenue residence in Harrison and during the search, over 1,000 images depicting child sexual abuse material were located.
Lewis, 39, was charged with endangering the welfare of a child and remanded to the Hudson County Jail in South Kearny.
“Crime knows no borders. Therefore, whether you commit a crime in Secaucus by crossing our border physically or by electronic means, the Secaucus Police Department will work tirelessly to bring you to justice and hold you accountable for your crimes,” Secaucus Police Chief Dennis Miller said. “My detectives have my unwavering support and I remain proud of their investigative work.”
“Mr. Lewis has been employed as a Harrison emergency dispatcher since March 2019,” Harrison Police Chief David Strumolo said. “He recently began training for the position of Special Class I officer, but to date has not served our community in this capacity. We are grateful for the investigation and the efforts of the Secaucus Police Department and would like to assure the public our police department and the Town of Harrison will respond to this investigation fully with the goal of keeping our community safe. We always hold our officers and staff to the highest standards of professional integrity and the commission of a crime is not tolerated. At this time, Mr. Lewis has been suspended immediately, pending the outcome of this investigation.
“We encourage any residents with concerns regarding any of our personnel to report those concerns to the Harrison Police Department’s Internal Affairs Unit. The members of the Harrison Police Department are committed to protecting and serving our community. We have a dedicated and professional team of men and women who do an outstanding job in fulfilling their duties as public servants and I am proud to be their Chief.”
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