Retired NJ cop charged with making child porn with 15-year-old boy

BERNARDS — A retired New Jersey police officer has been accused of creating child pornography with a 15-year-old.

Gregory Tannenbaum, 52, of the Basking Ridge section of this township, “engaged in sexually explicit chat and email conversations” with the male teen, Somerset County Prosecutor Michael Robertson said Friday.

Detectives said on Thursday they confiscated Tannenbaum’s computer tablet, cellphone, two external hard drives and a digital camera.

The investigation was sparked by information provided to authorities by he National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, prosecutors said.

Authorities did not say how Tannenbaum knew the teen or whether they ever met.

The arrest comes a week after a Morris County police officer copped a plea to possessing naked images of a 17-year-old girl.

Tannenbaum is charged with first-degree manufacturing of child pornography, third-degree endangering the welfare of a child, and third-degree possession of child pornography.

Tannenbaum retired from the Millburn Police Department in December 2000 on a disability pension after less than 14 years of service.

He was being held Friday at Somerset County Jail in Somerville awaiting trial. Bail was set at $150,000 cash only.

Anyone with more information is asked to contact the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Computer Crimes Unit at 908-575-3300.

Sergio Bichao is deputy digital editor at New Jersey 101.5. Send him news tips: Call 609-438-1015 or email sergio.bichao@townsquaremedia.com.