The Essex County Prosecutor's Office Special Victims Unit received a tip that Nazarjon Abdukahorov was exchanging messages with a 14-year-old girl he met on a dating app, Acting Essex County Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens, II said.
The messages progressed to a plan to meet in person for sex, Stephens said alongside Maplewood Police Chief Albert Sally.
Detectives from the Special Victim’s Unit, working with the Maplewood Police Department, conducted surveillance involving the planned meet-up location, Stephens and Sally said. When Abdukahorov arrived at the predetermined time and place, detectives placed him under arrest, Stephens and Sally said.
Abdukahorov was charged with luring in the second degree and endangering the welfare of a child, Stephens and Sally said. He is currently detained at the Essex County Correctional Facility pending disposition of these charges, Stephens and Sally said.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Elizabeth and receive free news updates.