Montville Man Arrested on Charges of Distributing and Possessing Child Sexual Abuse Material

Authorities allege use of Kik app to share explicit media files involving minors; investigation initiated through national cyber tip

A Montville resident has been arrested and charged in connection with the alleged possession and distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), according to a June 13 announcement from Morris County Prosecutor Robert J. Carroll, Chief of Detectives Robert McNally, and Montville Police Chief Andrew Caggiano.

Matthew Mannarano, 34, was charged with one count of second-degree Endangering the Welfare of a Child for allegedly distributing CSAM, and one count of third-degree Endangering the Welfare of a Child for allegedly possessing CSAM. The charges stem from an investigation triggered by a CyberTip received from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).

According to authorities, the tip involved media files depicting the sexual exploitation or abuse of minors that were reportedly distributed via Kik, a mobile messaging application. Following the identification and investigation of the digital material, law enforcement alleged that Mannarano both possessed and shared the explicit content.

He was arrested on June 11, 2025, and subsequently released under New Jersey's Criminal Justice Reform guidelines. Mannarano was placed on PML Level II monitoring, with court-imposed pretrial conditions that prohibit unsupervised contact with children.

The case is being handled by the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, in collaboration with the Montville Police Department. Authorities have encouraged anyone with information related to the investigation to contact the ICAC Task Force at 973-285-6200.

Law enforcement emphasized that the criminal complaint represents allegations only. Mannarano is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.