Phillip Stone, 33, of Lacey Township, was charged with Luring and Attempted Sexual Assault.
NEW YORK - A man pretending to be a 14-year-old child staged a sting that lead to an attempted sexual assault arrest in New Jersey.
According to the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office, a private citizen shared a conversation on the social media site Skout between himself and Phillip Stone, 33, of Lacey Township.
The pair agreed to meet in Toms River to have sexual relations.
The man confronted Stone when he arrived and recorded the incident. The video was posted to YouTube on Mar. 1 and prompted an investigation.
Stone believed he was chatting with a minor, arranged the meeting, and had indeed solicited the minor for sexual relations, according to the OCPO.
The man was arrested and was being held at the Ocean County Jail pending a detention hearing.
“As I stated earlier, investigations into criminal activity should be left to law enforcement professionals," said Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer."Taking the law into your own hands is dangerous. We are very fortunate that no one got hurt today and we were able to take a child predator off the street."
Stone was charged with luring and attempted sexual assault.