An Ocean Township man has been arrested for luring and endangering the welfare of a child after allegedly committing several lewd actions in a video chat with a minor, announced Monmouth County Prosecutor Chris Gramiccioni.

Barton Cross-Tierney Jr., 29, was charged with second degree Luring, two counts of second degree Endangering the Welfare of a Child for Debauching the Morals of a Child and two counts of third degree Promoting Obscenity to a Minor.

The Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office received multiple Cybertips in 2018 regarding a participant of Discord, an online chat platform that allows for text exchanges, voice communications and video chats, engaging in inappropriate conversations with underage girls.

In December 2018, a juvenile female contacted the FBI tipline and reported that she had engaged in an inappropriate online relationship with an adult male from Ocean Township with the Discord username “Barton Cross.”

An investigation revealed that Barton Cross committed sexual acts while in a video chat with the juvenile victim.

A subsequent investigation conducted by members of Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office Computer Crimes Unit, the Ocean Township Police department, members of the ICAC Task Force, and the FBI determined “Barton Cross” to be Barton C. Cross-Tierney, of Franklin Parkway in Ocean Township, New Jersey.

If convicted of the 3rd degree crimes, Cross-Tierney faces a sentence of up to 5 years in New Jersey state prison on each charge.

If convicted of the 2nd degree crime, Cross-Tierney faces a sentence of up to 10 years in New Jersey state prison.

Despite this arrest, law enforcement authorities continue to seek names of other potential victims that belonged to the Discord group created by Barton Cross.

Anyone with additional information about this case is asked to contact Detective Tiffany Lenart of the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office at 1-800-533-7443, or the FBI in Newark at 973-792-3000.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant Prosecutor Stephanie Dugan.

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