A 40-year-old Jersey City man has been charged with sending a girl overseas sexually explicit messages through Discord, Acting Hudson County Prosecutor Wayne Mello announced.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
Stanley Ruiz, 40, of Jersey City, is charged with endangering the welfare of a child and lewdness, Mello said in a statement.
He was arrested at his residence and transported to the Hudson County Correctional Facility pending his first court appearance.
In March 2025, the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force received information that an adult male sent explicit messages and images to a female juvenile through the social media application Discord.
The victim, who lives out of the country, identified herself as a juvenile to the defendant multiple times.
Mello credited the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force with the arrest and investigation, with assistance by federal and international law enforcement partners.
This case highlights the urgent need for stronger digital safeguarding mechanisms on social media platforms, particularly those popular among young users, to proactively detect and prevent online sexual exploitation before it escalates into more severe harm.