Brick, NJ man arrested at JFK Airport on child porn charges

BRICK — A man accused of uploading child porn to the internet has been arrested on his way back into the United States, according to the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office.

Christopher Budelman, 35, of Brick, had just disembarked from a flight arriving at John F. Kennedy International Airport on Tuesday when he was arrested by officers with the US Department of Homeland Security.

Budelman is charged with possession of child pornography. Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer said Budelman's arrest came eight days after investigators executed a search warrant at his home in Brick.

The investigation started when state police "detected" that someone had uploaded images of child porn to the internet using Kik Messenger, according to Billhimer. Police referred the information to OCPO detectives who tied the activity to an individual with a Verizon Wireless account, later identified as Budelman.

On Sept. 27, detectives from federal, state, and local agencies searched Budelman's residence. Billhimer said that they found a desktop computer with a hard drive that had images of child porn on it.

According to Billhimer, investigators learned after the search that Budelman was out of the country but did not specify where he had gone, how long he was there or the reason for his absence. He was charged at the time, then arrested on his return.

Budelman is awaiting extradition to Ocean County and he will be held at Ocean County jail pending a court appearance.

Rick Rickman is a reporter for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at richard.rickman@townsquaremedia.com

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NJ teachers and educators caught in sex crime busts

Over the past few years, state lawmakers have taken on the challenge of dealing with accused child predators among the ranks of teachers and educators.

In 2018, the so-called “pass the trash” law went into effect, requiring stricter New Jersey school background checks related to child abuse and sexual misconduct.

The follow individuals were arrested over the past several years. Some have been convicted and sentenced to prison, while others have accepted plea deals for probation.

Others cases are still pending, including some court delays amid the COVID-19 pandemic.