Prosecutor: Charges unlikely for Ridgewood students caught sending, sharing explicit pics
By Dan Ivers/NJ.com
on March 15, 2013 at 11:59 AM, updated March 15, 2013 at 12:10 PM
RIDGEWOOD — Despite threats of prosecution from local law enforcement, one high-ranking official say Ridgewood High School students who do not turn over explicit images of classmates are unlikely to face any charges.
After two female students used the social media app Snapchat to share nude photos of themselves with older boys earlier this month, the images spread around the school, igniting a controversy that led Superintendent Daniel Fishbein and village police to demand the images be destroyed.
Students have been granted an “amnesty period” that lasts until Monday morning to destroy the pictures, or potentially face criminal penalties, officials said. Numerous media outlets have reported that students could face child pornography charges if they do not comply.
However, Bergen County Prosecutor John L. Molinelli told NJ.com on Wednesday that a recent law aimed at easing penalties for teens who engage in “sexting” would almost certainly prevent any such charges from being enforced.
The law, New Jersey statute 2A:4A-71.1, requires that any juvenile caught with sexually suggestive or explicit materials must participate in “a remedial education or counseling program” at their own expense.