‘Dangerous child predator’ in Montclair tried to meet teen, cops say

A Montclair man who sent sexually explicit images to minors and made plans to meet up with someone he thought was a minor was stopped by police, prosecutors said.

Authorities are concerned he may have made similar arrangements with others

Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal said the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received a tip from a social media service that Keith F. Matheis, 67, of Montclair, had shared a file of "child sexual exploitation" to another user via direct message and sent child sexual abuse materials to multiple persons including users he believed were minors, according to Grewal.

He also sent a photo of his genitals to a victim he believed was 15, Grewal said, and made arrangements to meet a minor in Montclair for sex.

Matheis was arrested at his home on Monday and charged with second-degree luring a child, third-degree showing obscene materials to a person under 18, third-degree showing obscene materials to a minor for defendant’s sexual gratification, second-degree distribution of child sexual abuse materials and third-degree possession of child sexual abuse materials. He was being held a the Essex County Jail pending a detention hearing.

"The allegations against Matheis reveal a dangerous child predator and they raise concerns about other potential victims," Grewal said in a statement. "We urge anyone who might have relevant information about Matheis to contact us confidentially using the New Jersey ICAC Task Force Tipline: 888-648-6007."

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNJ