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Ayron Taylor, 22, of Delran, was taken into custody on Wednesday, Nov. 30 and released Friday afternoon, Dec. 2, following a first appearance in Superior Court in Mount Holly. The case will now be prepared for presentation to a grand jury for possible indictment, according to Burlington County Prosecutor LaChia L. Bradshaw and Evesham Township Police Chief Walt Miller.
The investigation found that Taylor illegally accessed more than 2,800 email accounts at Rowan College of Burlington County.
Taylor faces 87 new charges that accuse him of illegally accessing the social media and email accounts of 18 additional women and in several instances distributing their nude photos to people on their contact lists, Bradshaw and Miller said.
The complaints allege 28 counts of second-degree crimes that include Computer Criminal Activity and Distribution of Child Pornography, which was brought against him because some of the photos he accessed were taken before the victims became legal adults. The remaining 59 counts are third-degree charges including Elements of Computer Theft and other cyber-related crimes.
The investigation began in September after the initial victim contacted Evesham Township police to report that her Snapchat and Facebook accounts had been hacked by an unknown person who then sent nude photos she had taken of herself to her Snapchat contacts, messaged them to her Facebook friends, and posted them on her Facebook wall.
The investigation determined the commonality among all victims was that each one had a student email account through Rowan College of Burlington County. Some of this activity allegedly occurred while he was on duty and sitting in his patrol car, utilizing personal electronic devices, the prosecutor said.
Taylor became a full-time officer in Mount Laurel after graduating from the police academy in October 2021. The department suspended him following the initial charges and began measures to terminate his employment. He has since resigned from the force.
RCBC released the following statement from President Dr. Michael A. Cioce: “This is a repugnant cyber intrusion of privacy against the college and, especially, many of our students. Rowan College at Burlington County immediately strengthened network security upon the first report of the incident. Although there was no systemic failure of the college’s technology infrastructure, there is always opportunity for stronger security measures. The college’s Office of Student Support can provide assistance to victims who are impacted."
Individuals who have an RCBC email account and suspect that their private photos were shared without authorization are asked to contact investigators at bcpohtc@co.burlington.nj.us.
Click here for the Daily Voice story on Taylor's initial arrest.
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