Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer announced that on April 13, 2026, Justin Thomas, 40, of Toms River, pled guilty to Distribution of Child Sexual Abuse Material before the Honorable Guy P. Ryan, P.J.Cr.P. At the time of his sentencing, the date of which has yet to be determined, the State will be seeking a term of five years New Jersey State Prison with a five-year period of parole ineligibility. Additionally, The State will seek Parole Supervision for Life, and Thomas will be required to register as a Megan’s Law Offender.
This investigation was the result of a referral from the New Jersey State Police Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force. The ICAC Task Force received a cyber-tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that an individual was uploading images of child sexual abuse material to the internet.
An investigation by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office High Tech Crime Squad identified an IP address associated with a Toms River Township residence as the location from which the individual was uploading images of child sexual abuse material to the internet. That individual was ultimately identified as Thomas.
On July 31, 2025, Detectives from the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office High Tech Crime Squad, United States Department of Homeland Security Investigations, Toms River Township Police Department, and Toms River Township Police Department Emergency Services Unit, executed a court-authorized search warrant on Thomas’ residence. An initial forensic examination of a USB drive recovered from Thomas’ desk led to the discovery of several items of child sexual abuse material. Further investigation revealed that Thomas was distributing child sexual abuse material via his Snapchat account. Thomas was taken into custody at Toms River Township Police Headquarters and transported to the Ocean County Jail; he was subsequently released as a consequence of New Jersey Bail Reform.
Prosecutor Billhimer acknowledges the diligent efforts of Supervising Assistant Prosecutor Shanon Chant-Berry and Assistant Prosecutor Lynn Juan who are handling the case on behalf of the State, and commends the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office High Tech Crime Squad, United States Department of Homeland Security Investigations, Toms River Township Police Department, Toms River Township Police Department Emergency Services Unit, New Jersey State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, and National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, for their collaborative assistance in connection with this investigation.