NORTHVALE, N.J.—Borough resident Ronald S. Rovito, Jr. was arrested Nov. 6 by county prosecutors accusing him of two counts of distribution and possession of child pornography and endangering the welfare of a child.
Rovito, 23, who is employed as an electrician, “used the internet to view, download, or possess approximately 390 digital files depicting nude and/or sexually explicit prepubescent and pubescent children,” said Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella.
Rovito’s Paris Avenue home was searched Nov. 6 in connection to an Internet child pornography investigation, Musella said.
Rovito used numerous social media and file-sharing applications to share the child pornography images and engage in online conversations using a fictitious identity, Musella said.
“During at least two such online conversations, Ronald S. Rovito, Jr. engaged in sexually explicit dialogue with two underage girls and collected approximately 20 nude or sexually explicit images from them,” Musella said.
“This investigation by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Cyber Crimes Unit is continuing,” said Musella. “Any parent or guardian who determines that their child has communicated with the online screen names ‘buyingnudes2019,’ ‘whoop_w,’ or ‘ncruzan’ should contact the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Cyber Crimes Unit at (201) 226-5518.”
The accusations must be proved in a court of law. Prosecutors charged Rovito with: second-degree distribution of child pornography in an amount greater than 25 files, third degree possession of child pornography in an amount greater than 100 files, and third-degree endangering the welfare of a child.
Rovito was remanded to Bergen County Jail pending his first court appearance, where sheriff’s department records show he is still being held.