A 14-year-old Kearny boy was found dead near Penn Station one day before he was reported missing, authorities announced.

NEWARK -- A 14-year-old Kearny boy was found dead near Penn Station one day before he was reported missing, authorities announced. 

Foul play is not suspected in the death of Angel Gonzalez, who was reported missing to the Kearny Police Department on Oct. 9, Newark Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose said in a statement. 

At about 7 p.m. on Oct. 8, Newark police were called to an area behind the Hilton Hotel located at 1048 Raymond Blvd. near Penn Station. NJ Transit officers were already on scene with EMTs aiding a "sick or injured person," Ambrose said in a statement. 

The victim was brought to University Hospital where he died a short time later, authorities said. 

Fingerprint testing identified Angel as the boy who was found behind the building on Oct. 17. The news came one day after police asked for the public's help locating the 14-year-old, officials said. 

An autopsy will be done by the Regional Medical Examiner to determine the exact cause of Angel's death. 

There were no signs of trauma and there is no evidence that Angel was murdered, police said in the statement. Kearny police have not returned multiple requests for information about the investigation. 

Grief counselors were on hand at three Kearny schools on Wednesday. 

Caitlin Mota may be reached at cmota@jjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter @caitlin_mota. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook.

New Jersey diners have a character ... and characters ... all their own.

If you grew up in New Jersey and never ate at a diner, then you must have had good reason.

I would venture to say that few things are as intrinsically connected to a state as diners are to New Jersey. Perhaps that's the reason our diner galleries are among our most popular.

According to zagat.com, "In the state of New Jersey, diners are more than just a place to grab a breakfast sandwich or a late-night cup of coffee. Often the center of the community, diners built in the 1920's are still beloved by their guests despite modern restaurants filling up Main Street."

MORE: Vintage photos around New Jersey

Who doesn't love a diner? Diners are where a customer is able order bacon with the instruction to make it "ridiculously crispy" and the waitress writes it down and then delivers it to the table "just right."

Pete Genovese of nj.com identifies the Summit Diner as the oldest diner still in operation in the state, opening in 1929; Max's Diner in Harrison opened earlier, in 1927, but has gone out of business.

There are 566 municipalities in the state and, according to nj.com, at last count, some 525 diners. Those numbers make finding a diner in the Garden State easy work. How many have you found?

Here's a gallery of New Jersey diners. And here are links to other related galleries.

Vintage photos of diners in N.J.

Vintage photos of diners and eateries in NJ

Vintage photos of eclectic eats in N.J.

Greg Hatala may be reached at ghatala@starledger.com. Follow him on Twitter @GregHatala. Find Greg Hatala on Facebook.

Cops seek pair after Wednesday morning theft.

MILLBURN -- Two thieves stole thousands of dollars worth of designer handbags from a store at The Mall at Short Hills Wednesday, police said.

The pair swiped 14 bags valued at valued at $31,395 from the Saint Laurent store shortly after 11:30 a.m., according to Millburn police Capt. Michael Mulligan.

Township detectives were investigating the theft, the captain said. One thief was described as wearing a light blue jacket and denim jeans while the other had a grey sweatshirt and grey pants on. Both were described as males.

Noah Cohen may be reached at ncohen@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @noahyc and on Facebook. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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According to its Trulia listing, the taxes on the property this year were $25,605.

In this week's "Sold!" property, we feature a home in Livingston with more than 3,000 square feet of living space.

The house sold for $1,315,000 in October. According to its Trulia listing, the taxes on the property this year were $25,605.

The home features four bedrooms, four full bathrooms and one partial bath. The house was assessed this year at $1,024,200.

The median sale price for homes in the area is $628,250.

Spencer Kent may be reached at skent@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @SpencerMKent. Find the Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Rashawn Bond's murder and kidnapping conviction stands, though

A man convicted in the 2008 kidnapping and murder of a Green Brook woman with whom he was acquainted won part of his appeal and can argue to be re-sentenced.

Rashawn BondNJDOC 

A three-judge panel ruled that Rashawn Bond's conviction should be upheld, however.

Tanya Worthy, 35, a business owner and recruiter for DeVry University, was living in her boyfriend Rahim Jackson's million-dollar mansion in Green Brook, and also having an affair with the married Bond, according to prosecutors.

Bond conspired with three friends to rob Worthy and her boyfriend after learning her boyfriend kept drug money in a safe in his home, authorities said. 

Worthy was shot and killed, her body was left inside her white BMW, which was set on fire on an industrial street in Elizabeth.

In reaching their decision, the panel concluded that Superior Court Judge Joseph Donohue, who sentenced Bond considered the arson an "aggravating factor" even though he was acquitted of that charge.

In addition, the panel said Donohue engaged in "double counting" by considering "the gravity and seriousness of harm inflicted on the victim" as an aggravating factor in determining the sentence.

Worthy was convicted in 2014. 

Philadelphia residents Sharif Torres, then 26, and Robert Harris, then 31, were sentenced to 60 years apiece in 2015. Jamel Lewis, then 36, of Newark received a life sentence after being convicted of felony murder, kidnapping, robbery and aggravated arson.

Judges Harry G. Carroll, George S. Leone and Hany A. Mawla heard the appeal on Sep. 26 and gave their ruling on Wednesday. 

Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Michael Critchley, of the firm Critchley, Kinum and DeNoia ,was retained by the city to defend Mayor Ras Baraka in a lawsuit

NEWARK -- The high-profile lawyer who represented Bridget Anne Kelly in the Bridgegate trial will now defend Mayor Ras Baraka in a civil lawsuit filed by the city's former corporation counsel. 

The City Council on Wednesday approved hiring Michael Critchley of the firm Critchley, Kinum and DeNoia for up to $125,000 to represent Baraka in the whistleblower case filed by Willie Parker. 

Court records showing the substitution of attorneys for Mayor Ras Baraka. Karen Yi | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Parker served as corporation counsel from February 2015 until earlier this year. He filed a suit in June alleging he was fired in retaliation for not signing off on a multi-million dollar development deal that he said would hurt taxpayers only to benefit private interests. 

Parker is also suing the city, Baraka's chief of staff and brother, Amiri "Middy" Baraka, and two other administrators.

Last month, the council approved spending up to $125,000 for Greenbaum, Rowe, Smith and Davis to represent Middy Baraka and up to $75,000 for Tompkins, McGuire, Wachenfeld and Barry to represent Business Administrator Jack Kelly and Personnel Director Kecia Daniels. 

The city will continue to be represented by Domenick Carmagnola, who previously represented all named defendants.

Kenyatta Stewart, the city's corporation counsel, said having each official represented by different firms made sense given the scope of Parker's allegations.

"When you have someone who is filing so many different claims, it's best because you get different points of view," Stewart said. "It speaks to how seriously we're taking this case ...  the city isn't a cash cow."

In the lawsuit, Parker alleges he was fired after he refused to sign off on a development deal. He said he got into a disagreement with Middy Baraka, who allegedly told him the paperwork needed to be pushed through for "political reasons."

Parker informed Mayor Baraka of the incident and claims Middy Baraka later confronted him outside his home "on why he had snitched" to the mayor, according to the lawsuit.

Parker suffered a heart attack due to the high levels of stress and repercussions for his actions, he alleges. He is seeking damages and his job restoration with back pay.

City officials have denied any wrongdoing in court papers. In a statement previously issued by the city, Stewart said Baraka was concerned over Parker's performance and supervision of other attorneys.

Court records show Baraka filed a motion on Sept. 12 to replace Carmagnola with Critchley as lead attorney. Any professional services contract is exempt from public bidding requirements. 

On Wednesday, Central Ward Councilwoman Gayle Chaneyfield Jenkins was the sole no vote on hiring Critchley's firm.

Critchley, whose style as a top-notch trial attorney has been described like that of a professional fighter, has represented failed presidential candidate John Edwards' mistress Rielle Hunter, the Archdiocese of Newark and former Essex County Executive James Treffinger. 

He also represented reputed mobsters and Ridgefield Mayor Anthony Suarez, who was acquitted of bribery charges. 

Though he's made headlines for his criminal defense work, Stewart said Critchley has successfully tried civil cases. 

Karen Yi may be reached at kyi@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at @karen_yi or on Facebook. 

The quartet used 'straw buyers' to get home loans, authorities said

Four New Jersey residents have been charged with conspiring to obtain $5 million in fraudulent home loans, authorities said.

The quartet used "straw buyers" who were paid about $5,000 each to obtain loans from a bank to hide the identity of the actual purchaser, the U.S. Attorney's Office said in a statement Wednesday.

Victor Santos, 57, of Watchung, Arsenio Santos, 50, of Warren, Fausto Simoes, 64, of Millington, and Raquel Casalinho, 37, of Union, were each charged one count of bank fraud. All face up to 30 years in prison if convicted.

Victor Santos is a real estate investor and Arsenio Santos is a home builder. Casalinho worked as a home mortgage consultant and Simoes is a real estate attorney.

Man allegedly scams bank out of $530K

The four concocted an elaborate scheme in which the arranged transactions for 12 homes in Newark, officials said. The straw buyers bought homes for, on paper, an amount much more than the seller's asking price.

Then the conspirators pocketed the difference between the contract price and the amount the sellers actually received. Fake sales contracts, phony mortgage documents and a shell company were all used to dupe the bank, according to court papers.  

The bank that was allegedly defrauded is in Hillside, but it was not named in the criminal complaint

The conspiracy ran from September 2007 to November 2008, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. 

Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Retail and commercial tenants are snatching up space in the complex that already houses a Whole Foods and Barnes & Noble

NEWARK -- New Jersey Citizen Action, a non-profit group that provides free financial services and lobbies for reforms, had outgrown its 2,500-square foot headquarters high up in the National Newark Building on Broad Street and was looking to relocate.

The group didn't have to look far.    

Across Broad and two blocks north, the redeveloped Hahne & Company Department Store had commercial space available in its two-story atrium. The $174 million mixed-use redevelopment project by L+M Development Partners also includes 160 rental apartments.

The redeveloped Hahne complex opened to much fanfare in January, when it was hailed as a deeply symbolic yet very real sign of Newark's current revival. Hahne's best known tenant, Newark's Whole Foods supermarket, opened in March.

The Hahne & Company Department Store had once been a center of retail and social life in one of Newark's most prominent locations, opposite historic Military Park, only to close down in 1987 and remain a nagging reminder of the city's inability to remake itself.

The Hahne apartments, which include 96 market-rate and 64 affordable units, are now 100-percent leased, according to L+M, which is based in Larchmont, N.Y.

Following behind them, like Citizen Action, a variety of retail businesses and other commercial tenants have been snatching up chunks of Hahne's 165,000 square feet of rebuilt, raw commercial space and tailoring it to their needs. 

"We needed more space, and we wanted to be part of something big, something new and exciting, that we hoped would be good for Newark," said Citizen Action's executive director, Phyllis Sallow-Kaye.

L+M said this week that 75-percent of Hahne's 40,000 square feet of office space had been leased to tenants including Citizen Action and one of the banks it works with to facilitate loans, City National Bank.

About 80 percent of Hahne's 75,000 square feet of a retail space has been leased, L+M said. Whole Foods, a Barnes & Noble book store, PetCo, and a Kite & Key tech store are already doing business, and L+M said a City MD medical office, Cool Vines wine and liquor store and a restaurant by celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson are expected to open in the coming months.  

In addition to housing Hahne's commercial space, the atrium serves as an enclosed pedestrian mall linking Broad Street to Halsey Street, a budding boutique and restaurant row that runs along the southern edge of the city's university section, which includes the Rutgers-Newark and New Jersey Institute of Technology campuses.

Unlike its old space in the National Newark Building, Citizen Action's new headquarters will have a storefront on the atrium balcony visible and far more accessible to regular clients as well as walk-in traffic, including Rutgers and NJIT students the group hopes to help educate financially. 

"The fact that we see so many thousands of people each year for direct services and they're going to be able to come to a place in the center of Newark, makes this commitment to Newark for the next 15 years, for the future, both personal and organizational," said Sallow-Kaye, who thanked donors for helping raise the $500,000 cost of tailoring the new space.

Citizen Action's new space is next to the Newark Print Shop and Newark Express, an art collaborative run by Rutgers Newark. Whole Foods has lined its exterior wall inside the atrium with tables that are often crowded with diners at lunchtime.

Jon Cortell, Vice President for Development at L+M, said the mixed-use project was working out as expected.

"We are pleased to find that residents of Newark and New Jersey had longed for a renewed Hahne's," Cortell said in a statement. "And we hope that the dynamic mix of office, residential, and retail will at least partially match the memories people have of the great department store."

Steve Strunsky may be reached at sstrunsky@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @SteveStrunsky. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

The new Grammys Museum Experience at Prudential Center opens Oct. 20.

See how a number of county tournament upsets shook up the Top 20 this week.

M.E.T.S. Charter school which opened a campus in Newark this fall with Gov. Chris Christie in attendance announced it will shut its doors at the end of the year. Watch video

NEWARK -- A charter school that opened its doors to great fanfare in August with Gov. Chris Christie in attendance will shutter in June and transfer students back to district public schools. 

M.E.T.S. Charter School opened to 250 students in grades 9-12, promising to offer robotics, engineering and rigorous math courses.

But letters posted to the school's website Wednesday night announced the closure of the Newark campus at the end of the school year.  

"This decision was an extremely difficult one, as the faculty and staff at M.E.T.S. cares deeply about each of our students and their success both in school and in the future beyond high school," Interim Lead Administrator Madelyn Dullea wrote. "The M.E.T.S. Newark campus cannot in good conscience say that it is currently equipped to provide the highest level of education to the number of students currently enrolled."

Dullea wrote that 9th and 10th graders will be transitioned to the school district and those grades will be discontinued. The timing of that transfer was not detailed.

The school's seniors will be able to graduate at the end of the school year and administrators will work with 11th graders to find the best options for those students next year. 

A call to M.E.T.S. Charter was not immediately returned. The letter did not name specific reasons for the closure.

Earlier this month, a 15-year-old student was found with a loaded 9MM handgun at the school. The boy was charged with unlawful possession of a weapon in an educational institution.

The school is located at 909 Broad Street across from City Hall. It still operates a campus in Jersey City. 

Three other Newark charter schools -- Newark Prep Charter School, Paulo Freire Charter School and Merit Prep Charter School -- were forced to close last school year by the state for academic problems.

To date, more than 20 charter schools have failed under Christie's administration. 

Karen Yi may be reached at kyi@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at @karen_yi or on Facebook. 

'My goal is to be better informed, raise my voice, and participate in a more meaningful way,' Handler said. She's planning a trip across the country to better understand the political divide. Watch video

Chelsea Handler announced Wednesday that she will end her Netflix talk show "Chelsea" after two seasons.

The comedian and TV host posted a statement to Twitter saying that she intends to shift her efforts to the political realm. 

"Like so many across the country, the past presidential election and the countless events that have unfolded since have galvanized me," Handler said in the statement. "From the national level down to the grassroots, it's clear our decisions at the ballot box next year will mark a defining moment for our nation." 

Handler, 42, grew up in Livingston and moved to Los Angeles in her teens, where she pursued acting and stand-up comedy. In 2006, she began hosting "The Chelsea Handler Show" on E!, followed by "Chelsea Lately" from 2007 to 2014. She's written five books, including the autobiographical "Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea," in 2008, which was adapted into a short-lived TV series. 

The talk show host said she wants to dedicate herself to becoming a more engaged citizen. To that end, she plans to travel the country to "visit areas and people" she isn't that familiar with in order to examine the current political divide. She says she'll be working on a documentary for Netflix chronicling her experiences meeting people of various ethnicities, religions and political stripes. 

In July, Handler sat down for a conversation with right-wing media personality Tomi Lahren (now a Fox News contributor) at Politicon in California.

Handler debuted "Chelsea" in 2016 along with "Chelsea Does," a documentary series that features Handler having conversations about topics including marriage, racism, and drugs. She said "Chelsea" will continue to stream until the end of the year and sunset after the current season. 

Handler said she is also going to be working with Emily's List, a political action committee that backs pro-choice female Democratic candidates for office. (In 2016, Handler wrote about going to Planned Parenthood to have two abortions as a teen.)

Some precarious prognostication for Week 7 in New Jersey football.

A look at the Top 75 girls soccer freshmen in New Jersey.

The Orionid meteor shower will be putting on its best sky show of the month this weekend, overnight Friday, Oct. 20, into early Saturday, Oct. 21, 2017. As many as 10 to 20 meteors will be shooting through the sky each hour, originating from the constellation Orion.

Quinnizel Clark is accused of killing his friend, a former corrections officer.

MOUNT HOLLY -- A trial for a man accused of killing his friend, a former corrections officer, and leaving his body in a parked car is underway. 

A murder trial began Wednesday for Quinnizel Clark. Photo provided 

Quinnizel Clark, 35, of Belleville, Essex County, is facing murder and weapons charges in the slaying of 68-year-old James Dewyer. He was arrested and charged last July following an investigation into the January 2016 killing in Mansfield. 

Clark's trial began Wednesday in Burlington County Superior Court, the Burlington County Times reported. 

Authorities say the two men were acquaintances, and had spent time together the day Dewyer was found shot dead in the passenger seat of his car. They allege Clark drove Dewyer to Monica Court, where he shot him multiple times before fleeing on foot. 

Dewyer retired from the New Jersey Department of Corrections in 2010, after spending almost 30 years on the job. 

The two were friends who hung out at the same motel and went to casinos together, according to the Burlington County Times. 

Clark's attorney, Jennifer Gottschalk, said her client has maintained his innocence, and noted that the evidence presented was circumstantial, arguing that it did not connect her Clark directly to the crime. 

Burlington County Prosecutor Robert Van Glist said surveillance footage at the Delaware Park casino shows the two men arrive together that day, and footage from a motel shows Clark arriving back alone on foot, according to the Burlington County Times. 

The trial was scheduled to continue Thursday. 

Amanda Hoover can be reached at ahoover@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @amahoover. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Judge William H. Walls continued a trend of colorful comments during the trial of U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez.

NEWARK --The judge presiding over the ongoing federal bribery trial of U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez referred to two female attorneys arguing a point in the case as a "hen party" in court Thursday.

"At the risk of being chauvinistic, that's a hen party, talking over each other," Judge William Walls, 84, told two female attorneys who were arguing over the dates an email was sent during Thursday's proceedings.

Immediately after the judge's comment, Jenny Kramer, a member of the senator's defense team who was standing at a podium, turned around and mouthed to lead attorney Abbe Lowell, "Did you hear that?"

Big response to that on a break. Outside courtroom, Kramer gives thumbs up to Vaughn, says 'hen party.' Vaughn: 'I'll bring the wine.'

-- MaryAnn Spoto (@MaryAnnSpoto) October 19, 2017

The two attorneys -- Kramer and prosecutor Amanda Vaughn -- later remarked about the incident to each other outside the courtroom.

Kramer gave a thumbs up to Vaughn while the trial took a short break. "Hen party," he said.

"I'll bring the wine," Vaughn responded.

Later in court, Walls commented on a spat between Lowell and prosecutor J.P. Cooney over another issue with a different witness.  

"And now we have a cock fight," he said.

Walls has made a string of spicy comments throughout the trial, including telling another attorney to "shut up," and telling other lawyers they are out of "legal pampers."

Thomas Moriarty may be reached by email at tmoriarty@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ThomasDMoriarty. 

MaryAnn Spoto may be reached by email at mspoto@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @MaryAnnSpoto.

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Former President Barack Obama returned to the campaign trail on Thursday, visiting New Jersey to stump for Democratic governor candidate Phil Murphy.

NEWARK -- Making his first campaign appearance since leaving office in January, former President Barack Obama implored a packed ballroom in Newark on Thursday to help reject "the politics of division" gripping America by electing Phil Murphy, the Democratic nominee for New Jersey governor. 

In a 20-minute speech at the Robert Treat Hotel, Obama said the world will have its eyes on New Jersey when voters pick a successor to outgoing Republican governor Chris Christie on Nov. 7.

"The world counts on American having its act together," Obama told the crowd at the Robert Treat Hotel. "The world is looking at us as an example."

"In 19 days, the world is going to be looking at New Jersey," he continued. "In 19 days, the world is going to look and see what kind of politics we believe in." 

.@BarackObama: "In 19 days, the world is going to be looking at New Jersey." pic.twitter.com/TikI8UDCX8

-- Brent Johnson (@johnsb01) October 19, 2017

Obama, a Democrat, never mentioned his Republican successor, President Donald Trump, by name. Nor did he specifically mention any of the controversies that have surrounded Trump's first nine months in office. 

But Obama said "what we can't have is the same old politics of division that we have seen so many times before, that dates back centuries."

"We thought we put that to bed," Obama said. "That's folks looking 50 years back. It's the 21st century, not the 19th century."

He cast the New Jersey race -- in which Murphy's Republican opponent is Kim Gaudango, Christie's lieutenant governor -- as a place to begin healing.

New Jersey is one of only two in the nation to hold a governor's race this year, along with Virginia. After the Murphy event, Obama sped off for Virginia to campaign with Ralph Northam, the Democratic candidate in that state.

"Phil Murphy understands that New Jersey wants to move forward," Obama said in Newark. "It doesn't want to move backwards."

Obama noted that he has known Murphy, a former Goldman Sachs banking executive and top Democratic fundraiser, for years. In 2009, Obama picked him to become U.S ambassador to Germany, a position Murphy held until 2013. 

Obama said Murphy told him a few years ago during a visit to the White House that he was thinking of running for governor. 

"I wasn't surprised because I knew him and (his wife) Tammy and I knew their character," Obama said. "I knew how much they love their great state and how much they want to give back."

Murphy was joined Thursday by a parade of top Democrats -- including U.S. Reps. Donald Norcross, Frank Pallone, and Donald Payne Jr. -- who lamented Obama's absence from the Oval office.

"We don't just miss him as Democrats," Murphy told the crowd. "We miss him as Americans."

New Jersey is a heavily blue state, and Trump's approval rating among voters here sits in the 30s. Meanwhile, an August NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll showed 51 percent of Americans have a favorable opinion of Obama.

Thursday's crowd -- which Murphy's campaign said was larger than 1,000 and was open only to people who were invited or volunteered for the campaign -- yelled wildly as Obama took the stage. 

"Four more years!" they chanted. 

"I will refer you both to the Constitution as well as to Michelle Obama to explain why that will not happen," Obama told them. 

The crowd chants "Four more years!" @BarackObama tells them why that won't work: the Constitution and his wife. pic.twitter.com/D0aPsbUU0m

-- Brent Johnson (@johnsb01) October 19, 2017

It was the first time Obama campaigned for a gubernatorial candidate in New Jersey since 2009, when he stumped for then-Gov. Jon Corzine. The Democrat lost his re-election bid to Christie that year. 

At her own event Thursday, Guadagno -- who is trailing Murphy by double digits in all polls -- dismissed Obama's list, noting that it "didn't work" for Corzine eight years ago, "and it will not work today."

Obama implored Murphy suporters to help get out the vote, saying you "can't take this election -- or any election -- for granted."

"I don't know if y'all noticed that," he said in a sly reference to Trump's upset over Democrat Hillary Clinton last year. 

Obama is the latest in a string of big-name Democrats to visit New Jersey in recent weeks to campaign for Murphy, joining former U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and former vice presidents Joe Biden and Al Gore.

Clinton, the former U.S. secretary of state under Obama, will appear at a fundraiser for Murphy in Harrison on Sunday. 

Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @johnsb01. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.

Greyhounds, Wildcats a tornado and more are vying to be named N.J.'s top HS mascot

Lodi man accused of having child porn files in his email, according to federal authorities.

NEWARK -- A New Jersey Department of Corrections officer was charged Thursday with receiving images of child sexual abuse, federal prosecutors said.

Stephen Salamak, 37, was arrested at his Lodi home by special agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations branch, the U.S. Attorney's Office said in a statement.

An attorney for Salamak could not be reached for comment Thursday night. 

Salamak is accused of using email to "seek and obtain images of child sexual abuse, including images of prepubescent children," according to authorities.

The arrest came after an undercover law enforcement officer responded to an ad that Salamak posted on Craigslist, which "sought to connect with mothers who were 'into perverted topics," a Homeland Security Investigations special agent stated in a criminal complaint.

In emails with the undercover officer, Salamak discussed a possible meeting with the agent and her 8-year-old daughter, asked for a picture of the girl, sent a picture of himself and made sexual comments related to the child, the HSI agent alleged in the complaint.

Authorities later obtained a search warrant for Salamak's personal email account and discovered a message that had child pornography files attached to it, the complaint said.

State records list Salamak as a senior corrections officer at East Jersey State Prison with an approximately $61,911 annual salary.

He was charged with one count of receiving child pornography and released on $125,000 unsecured bond along with home confinement and electronic monitoring, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Noah Cohen may be reached at ncohen@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @noahyc and on Facebook. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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