TOMS RIVER – A Point Pleasant Borough man is facing multiple charges after investigators said he produced, distributed and possessed child sexual abuse material inside a foster home.
Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer announced that John Olson, 42, was charged August 28 with manufacturing, distributing and possessing child sexual abuse material. Olson was already in custody at the Ocean County Jail following earlier charges filed August 22.
The case began after the New Jersey State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force received a cyber tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that someone was uploading child pornography through an online app. Investigators traced the activity to Olson’s Point Pleasant residence.
Detectives with the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office High Tech Crime Unit, assisted by the Ocean County Regional SWAT Team and Point Pleasant Police, executed a court-authorized search warrant at Olson’s home on August 22. Authorities said several electronic devices were seized, and investigators discovered that Olson used the messaging app Kik to share illicit images.
Detectives also reported finding cameras inside children’s bedrooms at the residence, which was being used as a foster home. A forensic review of Olson’s phone later revealed nude images of children that appeared to have been recorded by those cameras, prosecutors said.
Olson remains lodged in the Ocean County Jail pending a detention hearing.
Billhimer praised the collaborative work of the Prosecutor’s Office High Tech Crime Unit, Point Pleasant Police, Ocean County Regional SWAT Team, State Police ICAC Task Force and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children for their roles in the investigation.
