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Ryan Gunsauls, 33, pleaded guilty during a hearing in superior court, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond Santiago said in a news release on Monday, Nov. 18.
The investigation began in May when a teen reported Gunsauls had asked for and shared sexually explicit material through a social media app.
As the case developed, eight additional victims between 11 and 17 years old were identified. Gunsauls was held in the Monmouth County Correctional Institution and a judge granted a motion to keep him detained.
Gunsauls pleaded guilty to first-degree endangering the welfare of a child by manufacturing child sexual abuse material and second-degree attempted endangering via manufacturing child sexual abuse material, along with second- and third-degree endangering via sexual conduct.
Gunsauls is listed as a volunteer firefighter with Union Beach Fire Company No. 1 and was also a dispatcher for the borough's police department. He graduated from the Monmouth County Fire Academy in May 2010.
Prosecutors planned to recommend a 12-year prison sentence for Gunsauls. He would have to serve more than 10 years before being eligible for parole under the No Early Release Act.
The plea deal also included lifetime parole supervision, Megan’s Law registration, and sex offender restraining orders banning him from contacting the victims.
Sentencing was scheduled for Thursday, Mar. 6, 2025.
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