A New Jersey man faces multiple charges after a referral from a hospital social worker led to an investigation involving child sexual abuse material shared via apps, police said.
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The investigation began in July when a social worker at Capital Health Regional Medical Center in Trenton contacted Middletown Township police to report that a patient had brought to light concerning information, according to court papers.
The man — identified as Jereme Benyola, 51, of Sicklerville, New Jersey — expressed concerns for the safety of children in Middletown Township after receiving photos of children on a gay dating app, police said.
Middletown Township police and Trenton police responded, and the patient provided investigators with access to his phone, which showed communications with another man and child sexual abuse material from June, authorities stated.
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Benyola and the unidentified man had chatted previously on the Telegram and Cruising apps, police said.
Investigators said a forensic analysis of the phone revealed multiple conversations about child sexual abuse, including discussions about meeting children and exchanges of money for such meetings.
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Detectives also found a photo of a child under 10 at a urinal, police said.
Benyola reportedly traveled to Middletown Township on June 21 to meet the children at a Veterans Highway apartment complex, but he failed to find the apartment, police said.
During an interview, Benyola admitted to offering money for encounters with the children, police said.
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Benyola was charged on July 19, but he was not brought before a district judge to be preliminarily arraigned until last week.
Benyola was charged with two counts of attempted involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a child and single counts of attempted indecent assault on a person less than 13 years of age, attempted corruption of minors, child pornography, and criminal use of a communication facility. He was held on 10 percent of $250,000 by on-call District Judge Charles Jonas.
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Editor’s Note: All individuals arrested or charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty. The story was compiled using information from police and public court documents.
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