Current:Home > Contact-usDelaware man charged in kidnapping of 11-year-old New Jersey girl after online gaming-InfoLens
Delaware man charged in kidnapping of 11-year-old New Jersey girl after online gaming
View Date:2024-12-23 12:05:57
A Delaware man has been arrested and charged with the kidnapping of an 11-year-old New Jersey girl who authorities say he met playing online video games.
The girl was found and recovered from a small Delaware community on Sept. 10 after being reported missing the same day, according to a Thursday news release from the office of Passaic County prosecutor Camelia Valdes.
Darius Matylewich, 27, is charged with kidnapping and endangering the welfare of a child. He's accused of luring the girl after meeting her while playing an online video game and taking her from her hometown of Wayne, New Jersey, about 140 miles southwest to his hometown of Bear, Delaware.
Matylewich's attorney, Jillian Elko, did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Monday.
Matylewich had been expected in court Monday for a hearing to determine whether he's eligible for release or should be held while awaiting trial but a court official said it was delayed until Oct. 20.
The New Castle County Police in Delaware arrested Matylewich in Bear and extradited him to New Jersey, where he could face more than 30 years in prison if convicted of the charges.
Hate crime:Stabbing death of 6-year-old Muslim boy in Illinois to be investigated as hate crime
'Playing with a handgun':10-year-old Illinois boy found dead in garbage can may have 'accidentally' shot himself, police say
Matylewich communicated with girl on Roblox, official says
Matylewich met the girl playing online video games and the two communicated through Roblox, a gaming platform, said Jennifer Fetterman, chief assistant prosecutor with the Passaic County Prosecutor's Office.
Roblox did not immediately provide a statement to USA TODAY on Monday but told WPVI-TV in Philadelphia that they have reached out to law enforcement agencies and are offering help.
"We work tirelessly to prevent grooming on our platform and have a team of thousands of moderators who enforce a strict set of community standards," Roblox said in a statement.
On their website, Roblox has listed several resources for parents concerned about their children's safety.
"Safety and civility are foundational to everything we do," the company says. "We’ve built a platform with industry-leading safety and civility features. We continuously evolve our platform as our community grows and evolves."
Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter @saman_shafiq7.
Contributing: Amanda Myers, USA TODAY
veryGood! (4847)
Related
- Man waives jury trial in killing of Georgia nursing student
- Two Nashville churches, wrecked by tornados years apart, lean on each other in storms’ wake
- Lupita Nyong’o will head the jury at the annual Berlin film festival in February
- What to know about abortion lawsuits being heard in US courts this week
- Kevin Costner says he hasn't watched John Dutton's fate on 'Yellowstone': 'Swear to God'
- More foods have gluten than you think. Here’s how to avoid 'hidden' sources of the protein.
- Several seriously injured when construction site elevator crashes to the ground in Sweden
- Russia says it will hold presidential balloting in occupied regions of Ukraine next year
- Brittany Cartwright Defends Hooking Up With Jax Taylor's Friend Amid Their Divorce
- Hasbro cuts 1,100 jobs, or 20% of its workforce, prompted by the ongoing malaise in the toy business
Ranking
- School workers accused of giving special needs student with digestive issue hot Takis, other abuse
- Viola Davis, America Ferrera, Adam Driver snubbed in 2024 Golden Globe nominations
- Endangered species list grows by 2,000. Climate change is part of the problem
- Groups want full federal appeals court to revisit ruling limiting scope of the Voting Rights Act
- Brittany Cartwright Defends Hooking Up With Jax Taylor's Friend Amid Their Divorce
- Commercial fishermen need more support for substance abuse and fatigue, lawmakers say
- US inflation likely cooled again last month as Fed prepares to assess interest rates
- Horse and buggy collides with pickup truck, ejecting 4 buggy passengers and seriously injuring 2
Recommendation
-
Agents search home of ex-lieutenant facing scrutiny as police probe leak of school shooting evidence
-
Europe agreed on world-leading AI rules. How do they work and will they affect people everywhere?
-
Thousands of demonstrators from Europe expected in Brussels to protest austerity measures in the EU
-
Thousands of demonstrators from Europe expected in Brussels to protest austerity measures in the EU
-
Kim Kardashian and Kourtney Kardashian Team Up for SKIMS Collab With Dolce & Gabbana After Feud
-
How the 2016 election could factor into the case accusing Trump of trying to overturn the 2020 race
-
Thousands of demonstrators from Europe expected in Brussels to protest austerity measures in the EU
-
After losing Houston mayor’s race, US Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee to seek reelection to Congress