Jarred T. Robinson, 28, of the Somerset section of Franklin Township had been chatting online with the girl for about a month, they said.
Last week, he caught a plane from Philadelphia to Detroit, then took public transportation 35 miles to get to Chesterfield Township, police there said.
Robinson had a ride share app bring the girl to a local Walmart, then walked her to a local motel and had her wait at the side door while he rented a room at the front desk, they said in a release.
He used the same app to get her a ride home about an hour later, police said.
The girl found her mother calling in a missing persons report for her, they said. The mom was relieved she was home but then immediately called township police when she learned what had happened.
Detectives and uniformed officers rushed to the motel, where they arrested Robinson.
Robinson already had a criminal record, including a 2015 arrest for a burglary spree involving 48 vehicles in South Brunswick.
He remained held in the Macomb County Jail on $50,000 bond, charged with criminal sexual contact with an underage victim.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Ridgewood and receive free news updates.