NEWARK – A Toms River man has pleaded guilty to traveling abroad to engage in sexual activity with a child, federal prosecutors announced.
Jacob Bauer, 29, admitted before U.S. District Judge Robert Kirsch to one count of engaging in illicit sexual conduct in a foreign country.
According to court records, Bauer traveled to Norway between December 1 and December 10, 2023, where he stayed at a hotel and had sexual contact with a 14-year-old girl. After returning to the United States, Bauer discussed the encounter on social media, acknowledging the victim’s age. Members of an online group later revealed his identity.
The charge carries a possible sentence of up to 30 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Sentencing is scheduled for January 21, 2026.
The investigation involved the FBI’s Newark Division, police departments in New Brunswick and Manchester Township, and law enforcement agencies in Norway, Poland, Georgia, and Denmark, as well as INTERPOL.
The case was prosecuted under Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide Department of Justice initiative launched in 2006 to combat child exploitation and online abuse.
