In a joint announcement, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes, Wayne New Jersey Police Chief Jack McNiff, and New Castle County, Delaware Police Chief Joseph S. Bloch revealed the details of an arrest made in connection with a kidnapping investigation that transpired on September 10, 2023.
Officials said Darius Matylewich, a 27-year-old resident of Bear, Delaware, has been apprehended and charged with Kidnapping in the first degree, along with Endangering the Welfare of a Child in the third degree.
The incident began at approximately 6:45 a.m. on September 10, 2023, when the Wayne Police Department responded to a report of a missing 11-year-old child in the area of U.S. Route 46 and Old Turnpike Road in Wayne, New Jersey. The young victim was located shortly after her disappearance in Bear, Delaware.
Subsequent investigations revealed that Matylewich had established contact with the victim through an online video game police said. Officials said Matylewich transported the child from Wayne, New Jersey, to Bear, Delaware, without the knowledge or consent of her parents. The New Castle County, Delaware Police Department swiftly arrested Matylewich on September 10, 2023, in the vicinity of Berwick Lane and Perth Street in Bear, Delaware. He was subsequently extradited to New Jersey to face charges.
If convicted, Darius Matylewich faces severe penalties. The first-degree Kidnapping charge carries a sentencing exposure of 10 to 30 years in New Jersey State Prison. Notably, 85 percent of this term must be served before parole eligibility under the No Early Release Act. The third-degree Endangering the Welfare of a Child charge carries a sentence of three to five years in New Jersey State Prison.
The Passaic County Prosecutor’s office has taken further legal action by filing a motion for pretrial detention, which is set to be heard by Judge Imre Karaszegi, Jr., on Monday.