Puppeteer alleged to be man who once tried to lure a child with puppets scheduled to perform at Jackson Trunk or Treat

JACKSON TOWNSHIP, NJ — A children’s performer scheduled to appear at Jackson Township’s upcoming Halloween celebration is drawing scrutiny after a resident alerted officials Tuesday night to a federal criminal case involving a man with the same name who traveled from New Jersey to New York intending to meet someone he believed was a 13-year-old girl for sexual activity.

Resident Eleanor Hannum raised the issue during the Township Council meeting, questioning how the performer came to be booked for an event being promoted specifically to children and families.

Council President Mordechai Burnstein said he would follow up with township officials Wednesday morning to determine what happened and how the situation was handled.

Federal Court Record Details Child-Sex Conviction

The township flyer identifies one of the scheduled performers as “Matt Brand,” who is set to appear during the Oct. 30 event with a puppet named Batty Belfry.

A federal appellate record involving Matthew Adam Brand, of Whiting, NJ, a New Jersey voice instructor who used the online screen name “Tempoteech,” shows that Brand was convicted after traveling to New York to meet someone he believed was a 13-year-old girl and attempting to entice a minor into illegal sexual activity.

Shore News Network has not independently confirmed the two brands are the same person, but the allegation was made at a public meeting and no business profile is available online for a commercial puppeteer named “Adam Brand” on the internet.

The purported child was actually part of an undercover operation, and no 13-year-old girl was present.

Prosecutors said Matthew Brand, 37, told an undercover cop posing as a minor he wanted to “do it all” with her and photograph her with “puppets.

According to the court record, Brand initiated online conversations with individuals he believed were 13, discussed sexual activity, arranged a meeting at the Port Authority Bus Terminal and traveled there to meet “Julie,” an undercover persona used by investigators.

FBI agents arrested him at the terminal and recovered a handwritten sign bearing Julie’s name. Condoms were also found in his vehicle.

A jury convicted Brand on both federal counts, and he was sentenced in 2005 to 60 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release. The Second Circuit later affirmed the conviction.

Shore News Network has not independently established from the available public records that the “Matt Brand” identified on Jackson Township’s Halloween advertisement is the same Matthew Adam Brand named in the federal court case, however township officials say they are now looking into it.

Hannum raised that connection publicly during Tuesday’s council meeting, putting the issue before township officials for review.

Burnstein Says Township Will Investigate

Burnstein did not dismiss the concern during the meeting.

He said he planned to follow up the next morning to determine what went wrong and how a performer with the history described by Hannum could have been placed on a township-sponsored children’s event schedule.

The Halloween event is being promoted as Mayor Jennifer Kuhn’s “Safe Trick-or-Treat” and is scheduled from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Oct. 30 at Town Hall, 95 West Veterans Highway.

The advertisement calls it “a safe fun event for families” and lists free treats, pumpkin painting, giveaways, a Halloween circus, a costume contest and several performers.

Last year, Jackson also held a mayoral Safe Trick-or-Treat at Town Hall, an event that included children’s games, crafts, trick-or-treating and township emergency-service displays.

Questions Turn to Township Background Checks

The controversy is also putting attention on Jackson’s background-check requirements.

Jackson Township has an ordinance requiring certain youth-serving organizations and personnel who interact with minors on township property to undergo background screening.

Those requirements have applied to positions such as coaches, trainers, teachers, camp staff and others working directly with children.

It remains unclear which specific screening requirement applies to an outside entertainer hired directly by the township for a public event and whether a background check was completed in this case.

Recreation Department Handles Special Events

During Tuesday’s meeting, officials also discussed Fred Meabe’s role in township recreation and entertainment scheduling.

Meabe, a retired Jackson Township police officer, now works in the recreation department and is involved in scheduling and booking entertainment for township events. Shore News Network reached out to Meabe this morning to see if Brand was still scheduled to perform and to verify the allegation made by Hannum at Tuesday’s meeting.

Neither Kuhn nor Meabe had publicly addressed the Halloween performer controversy as of Wednesday morning.

The promotional advertisement remained posted on the township’s Facebook page.

‘Safe’ Halloween Event Now Under Scrutiny

The questions are particularly significant because the township has marketed the event around child safety.

The flyer prominently describes the Oct. 30 program as a “Safe Trick-or-Treat” and encourages families and children to attend several hours of entertainment at Town Hall.

The federal court record involving Matthew Adam Brand states that the defendant knew the person he intended to meet was represented to him as a 13-year-old girl.

The appeals court found there was sufficient evidence supporting his convictions for interstate travel with the intent to engage in illegal sexual activity and attempted enticement of a minor.

For Jackson officials, the immediate question is now whether the entertainer booked for the Oct. 30 event is the same individual identified in that federal case and, if so, what screening occurred before his name appeared on a township advertisement.

Burnstein said the matter would be followed up by township officials.