Berkeley Township Man Charged With Child Pornography Offenses
Saturday, February 15, 2025, 7:00 A.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,
BERKELEY, NJ.- Following an internet child pornography investigation on Thursday, February 13, 2025, Detectives have charged Mario Calabrese, 26, of Berkeley Township, New Jersey, with one count of Possession of Child Pornography; and two counts of Distribution of Child Pornography.
According to Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer, the investigation began when the New Jersey State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force contacted the Prosecutor’s Office after they received a CyberTip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that an individual in the Ocean County, New Jersey area was utilizing the internet to send and receive digital images and video files depicting the sexual exploitation and abuse of children.
Detectives Identify Calabrese As Suspect
During the investigation, Detectives of the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office identified an IP address associated with a Berkeley Township residence as the location where the child pornography was being received and sent, utilizing a Kik Messenger application account.
Further investigation into the Kik Messenger accounts resulted in Detectives locating digital images and video files that Calabrese had uploaded and sent over the Kik Messenger application.
Following the identification, on Thursday, February 13, 2025, Detectives obtained and executed a court-authorized search warrant at Calabrese’s Berkeley Township residence. During the search, Detectives seized multiple electronic devices, and a forensic examination of the devices uncovered the Kik Messenger application installed on the devices, which was being utilized to view, download, possess, and distribute the digital images and video files of child pornography.
Accordingly, during the execution of the search warrant, Calabrese was taken into custody and formally processed on the charges at the Berkeley Township Police Department and was then lodged in the Ocean County Jail pending future court proceedings in Ocean County Superior Court in Toms River, New Jersey.
The Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office has filed a motion with the court to detain Calabrese pending trial.
“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.”
