For Immediate Release:
November 26, 2024

Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella announced the arrest of BENJAMIN P. RITTER, 23, of Washington Township, NJ, on the charge of possession of child sexual abuse material. The arrest is the result of an investigation conducted by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office under the direction of Chief Matthew Finck.

On September 13, 2024, members of the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Cyber Crimes Unit identified BENJAMIN P. RITTER during an ongoing Internet child pornography investigation. The investigation, which involved a court-authorized search of RITTER’s electronic device, revealed that RITTER viewed, saved, downloaded, and/or possessed 31,110 items depicting nude and/or sexually explicit prepubescent and pubescent children.

As a result of the investigation, BENJAMIN P. RITTER was arrested on Monday, November 25, 2024, in Paramus, NJ and charged with second-degree possession of child pornography, N.J.S.A. 2C:24-4(b)5(b)(ii). RITTER was remanded to the Bergen County Jail pending a first appearance in Bergen County Superior Court in Hackensack, NJ.

Prosecutor Musella states that the charge is merely an accusation and that the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Prosecutor Musella thanks the Washington Township Police Department, which participates in the Bergen County Cyber Crimes Task Force, for its assistance in this investigation.