WAYNE — Authorities are urging parents to exercise caution after a 27-year-old man from Delaware was arrested for kidnapping an 11-year-old girl he had met while playing the online video game Roblox. Darius Matylewich faces first-degree kidnapping and third-degree endangering the welfare of a child charges.
The arrest was the result of a collaborative investigation by the Wayne Police Department, the New Castle County Police Department in Delaware, and the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office. “Darius Matylewich, 27-years-old, from Bear, Delaware was arrested in relation to a kidnapping investigation that took place on September 10, 2023,” said Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes in a public press release.
On the morning of September 10, at approximately 6:45 a.m., Wayne Police responded to a missing child report near U.S. Route 46 and Old Turnpike Road. The girl was located shortly thereafter in Bear, Delaware. Investigators determined that Matylewich had met the victim online and transported her from her home in Wayne, New Jersey, to Bear, Delaware, without her parents’ consent.
Matylewich was arrested later that day in the area of Berwick Lane and Perth Street in Bear, Delaware. He has since been extradited to New Jersey. If convicted, the charges carry severe penalties. “The sentencing exposure for first-degree Kidnapping is 10 to 30 years in New Jersey State Prison, with 85 percent of the term to be served before parole eligibility pursuant to the No Early Release Act,” added Valdes.
Parents are being strongly advised to monitor their children’s online activities closely and to be aware of the potential risks associated with online gaming platforms like Roblox.