Police: Predator targets NJ child playing popular video game

⚠️ Accused predator targets NJ child
⚠️ Met on online video game
⚠️ Police urge parents, be aware of apps

An Ohio man has been accused of targeting a New Jersey child playing the popular video game, Fortnite, by sending sexually explicit chats, photos and videos to the victim.

The recent arrest has police reminding guardians to monitor game and social media use by younger players.

Bret Templeton, of Kenton, Ohio, was charged with second-degree sexual assault, third-degree child endangerment and third-degree showing obscene material to a minor.

The 21-year-old allegedly befriended a 9-year-old female through the online game and then began sending her sexually explicit material on her phone and computer, Hanover Township police said.

A woman ultimately found evidence on the juvenile’s devices and reported the incident to law enforcement.

After a several-month investigation, Templeton was arrested in Ohio and extradited to the Morris County Jail where he was held, pending trial.

Hanover Township police said on the department’s Facebook page that they “strongly encourage all parents and guardians to closely and continuously monitor the internet connected devices that your children have access to.”

Gaming platforms often allow for online communication, which is how the defendant connected with the victim.

In addition to immediately contacting local law enforcement, game developer, Epic Games, also has a spot on its website where users can report misconduct.

Police say it is important to see what apps your kids are using, as many allow unfettered access to personal information, explicit content and possible location.

Those apps are just a sample of the available social network apps that can allow for random video chatting with strangers and quick exposure to sexual and mature content.

It can seem daunting to parents and guardians who are not already tech-savvy to monitor such use.

Parental control software has become a useful tool. Bark has built a reputation for its subscription based services over the past number of years.

Other notable monitoring software includes Boomerang, FamilyTime Premium, Mobicip, Norton Family, Qustodio and Net Nanny as mentioned by PCMag.

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