Pennsylvania Man Charged With Attempting To Lure Child For Sex Acts

Friday, September 27, 2024, 11:45 A.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,

TEANECK, NJ.- Following an investigation by Detectives of the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit. A 37-year-old Green Lane, Pennsylvania, man has been charged in connection for allegedly attempting to lure a child to engage in sexual acts with him.

     According to Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella, on Monday, February 19, 2024, Detectives of the Teaneck Police Department contacted the Detectives of the Bergen County Special Victims Unit regarding an alleged incident involving the luring that occurred in Teaneck, New Jersey.

     An investigation by Detectives of the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office and the Teaneck Police Department learned that a child under the age of sixteen was contacted on the social media application Snapchat by an unknown person who engaged in sexually explicit conversations. 

     While chatting with the child online, the unknown individual arranged transportation for the child to meet him at a Teaneck, New Jersey, hotel to engage in sexual acts.

Rutleledge Identified

     Following a months-long investigation, Detectives tracked and identified Thomas G. Rutledge, 37, of Green Lane, Pennslyvania, as the unknown Snapchat user. After identifying Rutledge, Bergen County Detectives notified the Department of Homeland Security Investigations and the Pennsylvania State Police regarding the alleged incidents.

     Accordingly, as a result of the investigation, on Tuesday, September 24, 2024, Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Detectives formally charged Rutledge with second-degree Luring; and third-degree Endangering the Welfare of a Child, and a warrant was issued for his arrest.

     Rutledge was taken into custody by Pennsylvania State Troopers at his Green Lane, Pennsylvania, residence. He was processed as a fugitive from Justice and remanded to the Bucks County Correctional Facility in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, pending extradition to Bergen County, New Jersey.

“The rules of the court require us to include a statement that states: The charges outlined in this publication are merely accusations, and the defendant and or defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt.”