One of three sex-trafficking victims was able to escape her captor’s Mays Landing home and alert police, Atlantic County Prosecutor Damon Tyner said Sunday.
El Joshua, 36, is jailed on five counts of human trafficking following a two-month investigation that included the Hamilton Township police and FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force, Tyner said.
Joshua held three women in his Pearce Road home, using violence, threats and drugs to force them to in to various forms of labor, including forced prostitution and domestic servitude, according to the charges.
Joshua was arrested Thursday without incident.
In addition to human-trafficking, he is charged with two counts of criminal restraint and one count of possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, which is related to the sex trafficking of two adult females, Tyner said.
“Human-trafficking is a serious problem that plagues our community,” Tyner said. “Whether through prostitution or other forms of forced labor, such as restaurants and nail salons, we as a community must recognize the signs and report suspected incidents to law enforcement immediately.
"I thank our partners at the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force and the Township of Hamilton Police Department for their dedication and work on this investigation,” he added.
Joshua is in the Atlantic County Justice Facility pending a detention hearing set for Wednesday. It was not immediately clear if he had a lawyer or would be represented by a public defender.
