An 11-year-old New Jersey girl was kidnapped by a man she met through the online gaming platform Roblox, authorities said.
The Jersey girl disappeared from her home in Wayne on Sept. 10, according to Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia Valdes.
She was reported missing at 6:45 a.m. from the area of Route 46 and Old Turnpike Road in Wayne, according to a statement from Valdes and Wayne Police Chief Jack McNiff.
Wayne police located the child “a short time after she went missing,” about 135 miles away in the Wilmington, Del., suburb of Bear, McNiff and Valdes said.
Darius Matylewich, 27, of Bear, allegedly contacted the girl while both played Roblox, which allows users to program games and play games created by other users, according to a report.
He was charged with kidnapping and endangering the welfare of a child.
“Based on the investigation, police determined that Darius Matylewich had met the victim while playing an online video game and transported her from Wayne, New Jersey, to Bear, Delaware, without the knowledge or consent of her parents,” the statement said.
The 5-foot-8, 209-pound Matylewich faces up to 30 year in prison if convicted on the kidnapping charge. He was extradited to New Jersey and held at the Bergen County Jail on Tuesday.