A guy is in trouble with the law for using Roblox, an online gaming platform, to connect with an 11-year-old girl, snatch her, and carry her across state lines.
This guy, Darius Matylewich, 27, got hit with first-degree kidnapping and third-degree child endangerment charges.
According to the Wayne Police Department in Passaic County, New Jersey, the girl went missing, and they found her way down in Bear, Delaware.
The police say Matylewich encountered her while playing an online video game.
Jennifer Fetterman, Chief Assistant Prosecutor at the Passaic County Prosecutor's Office, said the guy and the girl communicated on various video game platforms.
On September 10, 2023, at around 6:45 a.m., the Wayne Police Department responded to a report of a missing 11-year-old on U.S. Route 46 and Old Turnpike Road in Wayne, New Jersey.
The cops found her soon after in Bear, Delaware. The investigation led the police to believe that Darius Matylewich met the girl through an online video game and took her from Wayne, New Jersey, to Bear, Delaware, without her parents' knowledge or consent.
Bear is about 12 miles southwest of Wilmington, Delaware's capital.
Matylewich was first arrested in New Castle County, Delaware, on September 10, and he was later extradited to New Jersey.
Matylewich apparently communicated with the girl on Roblox, but the company said their internal investigation didn't show that they met on the platform.
A spokesperson from Roblox expressed concern for user safety and mentioned that they have not been contacted by law enforcement, but they take the safety of their users very seriously.
They offered help to law enforcement and pointed out their efforts to prevent grooming and enforce community standards.
The Passaic County Prosecutor's Office is encouraging anyone with information about this case or similar incidents involving Matylewich to call their tip line at 1-877-370-PCPO.
If convicted, Matylewich could be looking at 10 to 30 years in prison for kidnapping, with the requirement to serve 85% of the sentence before being eligible for parole.
For the endangerment charge, he faces three to five years in prison.
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