Montclair Man Tries To Solicit Sex With ‘Teen Girl,’ Finds She Was Really A Cop: Prosecutors

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — An Essex County resident has been accused of trying to have sex with a person he believed was a teenage girl – but was really an undercover detective, authorities say.

Fred Newman, 39, of Montclair, allegedly began communicating online with a person who he thought was a 14-year-old girl in December 2025, according to the Camden County prosecutor’s office.

The “girl” was actually an undercover detective from the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office High Tech Crimes Unit.

During the conversation, Newman allegedly sent explicit photos and videos and expressed that he wished to engage in sexual conduct. After further investigation, detectives identified Newman as the male from the online chat, prosecutors said.

On Feb. 3, Newman was charged with one count of second-degree attempted sexual assault, two counts of third-degree attempted sending obscene material to a minor, and one count of third-degree attempted endangering the welfare of a child.

The U.S. Marshals Service New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force-Newark Division and Camden Division located Newman in Newark and took him into custody on Feb. 10.

Newman has been remanded to the Camden County Correctional Facility.

Authorities said anyone with information can contact the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office High Tech Crimes Unit at (856) 225-8826, or via the department’s website.

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