Egg Harbor Township man busted after disturbing cyber tip leads to CSAM charges
Middle Township, NJ – A 44-year-old man from Egg Harbor Township was arrested Thursday after investigators linked him to disturbing online uploads of child sexual abuse material flagged by a national watchdog group.
Frederick E. Ruddick Jr. was taken into custody following a joint investigation sparked by a CyberTip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which led law enforcement to a series of illegal uploads. Investigators later traced the material to Ruddick, launching a full-scale operation that ended with his arrest.
Search warrants were executed on January 23 targeting both Ruddick’s person and his vehicle. The warrants were carried out by the Cape May County Prosecutor’s High-Tech Crimes Unit and the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, working alongside the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Ruddick was charged with third-degree endangering the welfare of a child for possession of CSAM and is currently being held in Cape May County Correctional Center pending court proceedings. A conviction could carry a sentence of three to five years in state prison.
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Task Force Officer Kelley Shustack of the Cape May Police Department led the investigation as part of a broader effort by the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office to combat online child exploitation. The program places local officers inside high-tech units, arming them with the training and resources to handle increasingly complex cybercrime cases.
Prosecutor Jeffrey H. Sutherland credited the cooperative effort between agencies and highlighted the importance of specialized training programs to protect communities and target offenders using digital platforms to harm children.
The operation remains part of an ongoing countywide and statewide push by ICAC teams to uncover those who possess or distribute child exploitation content.
Key Points
- Egg Harbor Township man Frederick E. Ruddick Jr. was arrested after a CyberTip led to CSAM charges
- Authorities executed court-authorized searches of his person and vehicle on January 23
- He faces 3–5 years in state prison if convicted of third-degree endangering the welfare of a child
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