EAST BRUNSWICK, N.J. – A 46-year-old Elizabeth middle school teacher was arrested during a multi-agency investigation into online child exploitation and later released from custody, according to Middlesex County records.
Joseph Davicsin of East Brunswick was taken into custody on December 10 as part of “Operation Bad Santa,” an undercover sting coordinated by the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office Internet Crimes Against Children Unit. The operation targeted suspects accused of using social media and messaging apps to arrange meetings with individuals they believed were minors.
Davicsin was charged with luring or enticing a child by various means under statute 2C:13-6A and criminal attempt under statute 2C:5-1A(1). He was booked at the Middlesex County Jail at 10:27 p.m. on December 10 and released the next day, December 11, at 6:40 p.m. Jail records indicate he was held without bail during his initial detention.
Authorities identified Davicsin as one of twelve men arrested between December 8 and December 15 during the statewide undercover operation involving the East Brunswick Police Department, FBI Newark, Homeland Security Investigations, and several other local law enforcement agencies.
Court records list Davicsin as a non-U.S. citizen. His charges remain pending in Middlesex County remand court, and no hearing date has been scheduled.