SOMERVILLE, NJ – A Somerset County, New Jersey, man made his initial court appearance by videoconference today on charges that he enticed a minor over the internet to engage in sexual activity and traveled to the Philippines to engage in sex with the minor, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.

James A. Diggs, 44, of Somerville, New Jersey, is charged by complaint with one count of online enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity and one count of foreign travel to engage in criminal sexual activity. He made his initial appearance by videoconference before U.S. Magistrate Judge Leda Dunn Wettre and was detained.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

Between September 2018 and February 2019, Diggs used an online messaging application to persuade, induce, entice, and coerce “Minor Victim-1,” who was located in the Philippines, to engage in sexual activity. During the communications, Diggs solicited Minor Victim-1 to engage in sexual acts with him in return for money or material objects. Diggs encouraged Minor Victim-1 to keep their relationship secret because Minor Victim-1 was underage. In October 2018, Diggs traveled from New Jersey to the Philippines to meet and engage in sexual activity with Minor Victim-1.

Diggs used an online messaging application to entice and coerce three other minor victims in the Philippines to engage in unlawful sex acts. Between February 2015 and February 2019, Diggs traveled to the Philippines on at least seven occasions.

The online enticement of a minor charge carries a maximum potential penalty of life in prison, a mandatory minimum prison sentence of 10 years, and a $250,000 fine. The foreign travel to engage in criminal sexual activity charge carries a maximum potential penalty of 30 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited special agents of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, Newark Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jason Molina, with the investigation leading to the charges. He also thanked agents of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, John F. Kennedy International Airport, for their assistance.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patricia Astorga of the Opioid Abuse Prevention and Enforcement Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Newark.

The charges and allegations contained in the criminal complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

POINT PLEASANT BEACH, NJ – A large crowd of mostly African American young adults converged on the beach and boardwalk in Point Pleasant on Tuesday for an impromptu beach party that was promoted widely on social media in the hours leading up to the event.   As crowds began to grow, Point Pleasant Beach officials grew cautious and concerned about the size of the event and the actions of the participants, according to a press release issued by Chief Joseph A. Michigan today.  By the end of the night, the chief said the event remained orderly, there were no property damages and the crowds dispersed peacefully.

Still, the town called in police assistance from surrounding towns and the Ocean County Sherrif’s Department.  Ocean County Sheriff Michael Mastronardy said a call came in regarding a shooting at Wendy’s restaurant on Route 35, but that claim was unfounded.   The event was coordinated on Twitter and other social media platforms throughout the day by college students.

“First and foremost, let’s take race completely out of this discussion, I won’t let Point Pleasant Beach be anyone’s dumping ground,” Mayor Paul Kantira said. “Regardless of where they are from or what we look like, we had a bunch of disrespectful young people looking for a good time and not caring at all how they acted in the process.”

Kanitra confirmed there was no property damage, no crimes.

“Our town was treated like an absolute toilet,” Kanitra said, calling the beachgoers, “young idiots.”

https://www.facebook.com/MayorPaulKanitra/videos/188959529088143/

It was reported by some news agencies as a “Black Lives Matter” protest, but Mayor Paul Kanitra confirmed the event was nothing more than an organized beach party.

Residents complained about large crowds, provocative behavior, and minor disturbance complaints during the beach party.  The chief estimated the crowd to be in thousands.

According to Chief Michigan, officers from the Point Pleasant Beach Police Department began to notice an influx of people coming to the beach gradually throughout the late afternoon when the beaches were closing. The crowd grew by the hour and mostly appeared to be young adults. The crowd gathered on Jenkinson’s beach in the area of Arnold Ave. These adults were observed in the masses to be engaging in unlawful activity that threatened the quality of life in the community. Due to the size of the crowds, which was estimated to be in the thousands, the Point Pleasant BeachPoliceDepartment requested mutual aid from surrounding police departments and other agencies.

Police were positioned at every entrance to the boardwalk and stood by to ensure the crowd remained orderly for the safety of the residents and visitors of Point Pleasant Beach. The crowd began to disperse around 11 pm and patrols continued to monitor the area for the safety of the community.

The police department does not condone this type of unlawful activity. We are pleased to report, that no major incidents, damage to property, or businesses resulted from the actions of this crowd. At this time, the police department is still investigating who may be responsible for organizing this beach party

“I am extremely proud of the efforts and actions of my officers and all officers who responded here to assist in maintaining order,” Michigan said. “I am sorry that the residents and visitors of this town were subjected to this behavior. This one event should not define our community. We are a family-friendly town, and we as a department are committed to keeping it that way. Going forward, I urge you to contact our department if you see anything that threatens the quality of life in our town.”

Six people were charged with minor offenses during the event:

1. Jaquay Little 28 VOA from New Brunswick was arrested on 6/9/20 for Possession of Marijuana Under SOGrams in the area of RT. 35 North and Atlantic Ave. by Officer Zukowitz.

2. Lissette Vargas 25 VOA from Hillside was arrested on 6/9/20 for Possession of Marijuana Under 50Grams and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia in the area of the 500block of Ocean Ave.by Officer DeGroot.

3. Haja Sannoh 24 VOA from New Brunswick was arrested on 6/9/20 for Driving While Intoxicated in the area of Trenton Ave. and ChicagoAve. by Officer Marchetti.

4. Quiyon Stewart 20 VOA from Newark was issued a summons for Underage Possession of Alcohol on 6/9/20 in the area of the 500block of theBoardwalk by Officer Philbin.

5. Shayla Jackson 24 VOA from Clifton was issued a summons for Drinking in Public on 6/9/20in the area of the 500 block of the Boardwalk by Officer Chehade.

6. Amanda Prophete 23 VOA from Carteret was issued a summons for Drinking in Public on 6/9/20 in the area of Arnold Ave. andOcean Ave. by Officer DeGroot.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1270522843802017792

JACKSON, NJ –  On Tuesday, June 9, 2020 at approximately 11:45 pm, Police Chief Matthew Kunz made observations of a motorcycle which did not have a visible license plate being operated erratically and as the vehicle was stopped at the traffic light at the intersection of South Cooks Bridge Road and Bennetts Mills Road, he attempted to make contact with the driver. As Chief Kunz exited his vehicle, the motorcycle driver drove through the red traffic light and onto North Cooks Bridge Road.

POINT PLEASANT BEACH, NJ – It was all over Twitter for days, North Jersey residents from the northern urban areas were seeking to take a day to unwind together at the beach.  At first, they chose Asbury Park, but a last-minute change moved the party to Point Pleasant, catching residents, Mayor Paul Kanitra and local police off guard. If it was an all-white beach party, would the response have been the same?

“Residents may notice an increased law enforcement presence in the vicinity of the boardwalk and Ocean Avenue this evening. We are asking everyone to please avoid the area so the situation can be properly resolved. More details to come soon,” Kanitra said as crowds of African American young adults began unloading from cars and trains to join the party earlier in the afternoon.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1270522843802017792

A few hours later, Kanitra hit the kill-switch on the party, calling in police from other municipalities and the Ocean County Sheriff’s Department.

It was reported on extreme right-wing wanna-be blogs like SaveJersey that a Black Lives Matter protest was being hosted on the beach, but Kanitra said that wasn’t the case.

“There is currently a large unannounced party on the beach and boardwalk area in a clear violation of social distancing requirements,” Kanitra said of the large African American gathering in his town.  “As a result of this situation, law enforcement personnel have been called in from neighboring towns to ensure a calm and orderly dispersement of the crowd. We anticipate a full resolution over the next few hours.”

Rumors quickly spread on social media about a Black Lives Matter rally and police arresting people, but that also wasn’t the case.

“To quell unfounded rumors, there have so far been no arrests made and no protests ongoing,” Kanitra said.

Kanitra has ruled Point Pleasant with an iron fist since the COVID-19 pandemic, being the last shore town to open its beaches and boardwalk to the general public.  As for the reaction to a large beach party of African American kids, its probably not racially motivated, because until this week, Kanitra didn’t even want out of town white people in his town.

Some residents took to social media and called Kanitra a racist for how he handled today’s beach party.

“It is actually making me so mad about how badly our racist mayor is [expletive]ing up this corona situtation and how annoying all the maga residents are online lying about riots like they are making Point Pleasant businesses lose money by making our town look bad,” said one resident on Twitter.

To make matters worse, as police began dispersing the crowds, NJ Transit announced train delays this evening.

“Update: NJCL train #4772, the 9:19 PM from Bay Head, is up to 25 minutes late due to an earlier motor vehicle stuck on the tracks at Point Pleasant,” the Northern Coast Line said today.

Why are residents of Point Pleasant Beach, NJ being told to stay in their homes, if the BLM protest in their small town is peaceful. Police for neighboring towns protecting resident from “peaceful protesters”???@realDonaldTrump @FoxNews @SenTomCotton

— Judy T (@foxie531) June 10, 2020

https://www.instagram.com/p/CBOw1FXl9ZZ/

https://twitter.com/bigmeatyclauds/status/1270538027073486849

Right-wing blogger Matt Rooney broke the news tonight, reporting a “BLM rally” in Point Pleasant.  Rooney later removed his tweet after Kanitra said it was not a protest.

https://twitter.com/DeannaDTweets/status/1270547251941847041