A 79-year-old Kearny man was behind bars (not for very long, though) after he is alleged to have paid a child to shovel his snow, then inviting the kid inside his home where suspect exposed himself and performed lewd acts will displaying pornography, Det. Sgt. John Fabula said.
According to Fabula:
On Feb. 23, 2026, Robert Grohl, 79, of Kearny was taken into custody following a child-luring and sexual-offense investigation. The arrest occurred within three hours of the incident being reported to the Kearny Police Department.
At approximately 4:30 p.m. that day, a juvenile was going door-to-door on Quincy Avenue offering snow-shoveling services. Grohl apparently hired the juvenile who, upon completing the work, was invited into Grohl’s home to accept payment.
While inside, Grohl allegedly showed the juvenile pornography, exposed himself and engaged in a sex act in front of the him.
The incident was reported to police shortly after it occurred.
Patrol officers and detectives immediately responded, preserved evidence and initiated an investigation that led to the identification and arrest of the suspect later that same evening.
Ultimately, Grohl was charged with luring/enticing a child, endangering the welfare of a child, obscenity for persons under 18 and criminal-sexual contact
Following his arrest, Grohl was sent to the Hudson County Jail, South Kearny.
And is somehow not all too shocking, according to jail records, Grohl was released by a Hudson County Superior Court judge the very next day.
Anyone with additional information is encouraged to contact the Kearny Police Department’s Detective Bureau at (201) 998-1313.
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Kevin A. Canessa Jr. is the editor of and broadcaster at The Observer, an organization he has served 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 social media channels such as YouTube, Facebook, and X, 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 Kearny to return to The Observer full time. Click Here to send Kevin an email.