PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Eight men have been charged after prosecutors said they tried to prey on children they met online in New Jersey.
The Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office said the men were nabbed as part of Operation Guardian Angel back in March. The operation, launched ahead of the World Cup, aimed to stop predators before they could strike.
The suspects are from Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Connecticut. They are:
- Jose Adolfo Samayoa Ortiz, 51, of Plainfield, New Jersey
- Kenneth Davis, 66, of East Haven, Connecticut
- Erik Gerstenacker, 36, of Hamilton, New Jersey
- Joseph Nicosia, 72, of Philadelphia
- Connor O’Leary, 30, of Moorestown, New Jersey
- Brandon Lambert, 40, of Temple, Pennsylvania
- Joseph Nesci, 55, of Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey
- Richard Dickenson, 48, of Philadelphia
Investigators said they used social media to prey on kids. All of them are charged with attempting to endanger the welfare of a child, and half of them are charged with attempted sexual assault.
They say several of them were arrested when they traveled to meet up with people they believed were teens, but were really law enforcement.
