Jersey City man arrested for allegedly sending explicit content to a minor abroad through Discord.
A Jersey City man was arrested on Tuesday in connection with allegations of sending explicit photos and messages to an underage girl located in another country, as reported by the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office. The individual, identified as 40-year-old Stanley Ruiz, was taken into custody at his residence by members of the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, which works to combat online crimes involving youth.
Ruiz faces charges of third-degree endangering the welfare of a child and lewdness. He is currently detained at the Hudson County Correctional Facility, where he awaits his first court appearance.
The investigation was initiated following a tip received by the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, a collaborative network comprising 61 coordinated task forces across the United States, involving over 5,400 federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies dedicated to addressing technology-related crimes against minors. The tipster informed authorities that an adult male was sending explicit messages and images to a female juvenile via the social media platform Discord. The victim reportedly confirmed her status as a minor multiple times during her communications with Ruiz.
The increasing prevalence of child exploitation within the context of global connectivity has raised significant concerns. Instances of online child enticement have surged dramatically. According to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, there were 518,720 such reports submitted to their Cyber Tipline within the first six months of 2025 alone, marking a substantial rise from the 292,951 cases reported during the same period in 2024.
Furthermore, the use of generative artificial intelligence in the sexual exploitation of minors has escalated dramatically. Reports of such exploitation have surged from 6,835 to an alarming 440,419 within the same timeframe. Testimonies presented to the Senate Judiciary Committee highlighted that the nature of these online harassments is becoming increasingly violent.
Experts emphasize that the surge in these statistics reflects real children experiencing severe harm, reinforcing the urgent need for enhanced measures to protect vulnerable populations from online predators. The rising figures related to child exploitation incidents serve as a critical wake-up call to society regarding the ongoing threats posed by modern technology.
