Delaware man charged in kidnapping of 11-year-old New Jersey girl after online gaming
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.
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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
