36°
Phillip Stone, of Lacey Township, remained held in the Ocean County Jail pending a detention hearing following his arrest Monday.
Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said detectives from his High Tech Crime and Special Victims units took Stone into custody while investigating the authenticity of a video made by a private citizen who claimed to be doing a research study.
The man – who identified himself to Daily Voice as Rashawn Bass -- created his “Minority vs Predator” channel this past August to provide a series of tips that “shed some light and bring awareness to the amount of online child predators exist, and how easily your child could become a victim.”
Bass upped the ante on Sunday, posting a video he made showing him communicating with and then meeting Stone, who tells him on camera that he came expecting to meet an underage girl.
The video went viral as news spread, reaching 150,000 views over a little more than 24 hours.
SEE: Jersey Shore Meeting Of YouTuber Posing As Girl, 14, And Older Man Goes Viral (VIDEO)
Billhimer noted that Stone, a father of two, "believed he was chatting with a minor, arranged the meeting, and had indeed solicited the minor for sexual relations."
He also repeated a warning he issued Monday.
“As I stated earlier, investigations into criminal activity should be left to law enforcement professionals,'' the prosecutor said. "Taking the law into your own hands is dangerous.
"We are very fortunate that no one got hurt today and we were able to take a child predator off the street."
Billhimer thanked the Lacey Township and Toms River police for their assistance.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Hackensack and receive free news updates.
