TOMS RIVER – A township man has been charged with possession of child sexual abuse material following an investigation that began with a cyber-tip, authorities said.
Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer announced Thursday that Justin Thomas, 39, was taken into custody July 31 after investigators found multiple files of child sexual abuse material on a USB drive in his home.
The case stemmed from a referral by the New Jersey State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, which received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children about illegal images being uploaded online. Investigators traced the activity to an IP address at Thomas’ residence, Billhimer said.
Detectives from the prosecutor’s High Tech Crime Unit, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigations, Toms River police and other agencies executed a search warrant at Thomas’ home and arrested him at police headquarters, authorities said.
Thomas is being held at the Ocean County Jail.
