FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Caitlin Mota
PHONE: (201) 577-6699
EMAIL: cmota@hcpo.org
DATE: Thursday, March 2, 2023

TEACHER CHARGED AFTER ENGAGING IN SEXUALLY EXPLICIT CONVERSATION WITH MINOR

Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez has released the following information:

On Wednesday, March 1, 2023, the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force arrested a Jersey City man following an investigation into a sexually explicit conversation he had with a minor.

Eric Schau, 32, is charged with two counts of Endangering the Welfare of a Child in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:24-4a(1), crimes of the third degree. He was arrested outside of his residence and transported to the Hudson County Correctional Facility pending his first court appearance. The State has filed a Detention Motion, which is tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, March 7, 2023.

The Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force received information that an individual, who identified himself as a teacher, had engaged in a sexually explicit dialogue with a minor on the social media platform Discord. The investigation revealed Schau shared an explicit image and received child sex abuse material from a 14-year-old female out of state. Schau was employed as a teacher at Elysian Charter School in Hoboken when the crimes were alleged to have occurred and has since been terminated from his position.

Prosecutor Suarez credited the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and In-Court Units with the arrest and investigation. The above charges are merely accusations and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty. R.P.C.3.6(b)(6).