Local NJ police officer pleads guilty to sharing child sex abuse images

A police officer in Morris County has confessed to sharing more than 100 child sexual abuse materials on a popular messaging app.

Anthony Kelly, 37, of the Ledgewood area of Roxbury, has been suspended without pay from the Dover Township Police Department since his arrest last year.

The investigation was launched by six cyber tips generated by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, sent to the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Internet Crimes Against Children task force.

NJ cop shared over 100 child porn files in a few months

Over a four-month span last year, investigators detailed distribution of over 100 items from an account on the instant messaging application Kik, between July and October 2024.

Subscriber information on that account belonged to Kelly, and his two residences, as well as vehicle and work locker were checked by law enforcement.

Kelly’s wife also shared evidence with police, in the form of screenshots of online chats that mentioned his attraction to female children, according to an affidavit of probable cause.

He was criminally charged on Nov. 26, Morris County Prosecutor Robert Carroll said.

On Monday, Kelly pleaded guilty to second-degree distribution of child sexual abuse material, before Superior Court Judge Ralph Amirata.

Kelly was scheduled to be sentenced on July 18.

The state has agreed to recommend a prison term of seven years.

Upon his release, Kelly would be required to register as a sex offender with the state under Megan’s Law.

He will also be subject to parole supervision for life.

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