New Jersey firefighter arrested on child exploitation charges

Drew Martucci, a 28-year-old firefighter from Monroe Township, New Jersey, has been arrested and faces 10 charges related to the production, distribution, and possession of child sexual abuse material. Martucci, who was employed by both the Jersey City and Old Bridge fire departments, has been placed on unpaid suspension by both agencies following his arrest.

The investigation began after a cyber tip from Maryland involving a 12-year-old girl who reported receiving sexually graphic messages on Snapchat. Investigators used digital evidence to link Martucci to similar exchanges on Discord. During a search of his home, police recovered two cellphones containing hundreds of files.

In addition to first-degree production charges, Martucci faces counts of manufacturing, attempting to manufacture, and distributing child sexual abuse material, as well as endangering the welfare of a child, invasion of privacy, and distributing obscene material to a child.