A Hammonton man was arrested after he allegedly tried to meet a 15-year-old boy in Egg Harbor Township for sex.
Raymond Effinger Jr., 53, thought he was meeting a boy he met online when he arrived at a hotel in the township Sunday night, Capt. Heath Per said.
Instead, he met Cameron Decker and Shafiq Blake, who each run YouTube channels that track down child predators.
He arrived at the Ramada Inn in a vehicle with firefighter tags, which are seen on video as he later drives away from the confrontation.
It was not clear where Effinger may have worked as a firefighter. His LinkedIn claims he has worked maintenance with the South Jersey Transportation Authority since 2015, and as a communications specialist there before that. A spokeswoman for the SJTA was trying to confirm that for BreakingAC.
“How old did I say I was?” Blake asks Effinger when the man arrives at the hotel.
“Dude, you said you were 18,” he replies.
“I said I was 18?” Blake asks. “You were scared I was a cop and you were scared of my parents finding out.”
Blake, who runs Predator Catchers PA, also claims that Effinger knew he wasn’t old enough to drive: “You wanted them to take a train.”
As they walk, Blake tries to talk Effinger into staying.
“Maybe it’s a misunderstanding,” Blake says.
“Obviously,” Effinger replies. “I would never do that.
“Then stay here and talk to me,” Blake tells him.
As the sky becomes overcast and thunder can be heard, Effinger walks to his vehicle, continuing to proclaim his innocence.
Decker says he can explain it to police when they get there.
“I’m leaving,” he replies, getting into his vehicle.
The camera then pans to the license plate, which indicates a firefighter.
While Effinger’s LinkedIn makes no such mention, he is listed as a CPR instructor in Vineland and, previously, Egg Harbor Township.
An investigation by Officer Michael Contreras and Detective Jacob Hunter led to Effinger, Per said. Efforts to get him to turn himself in didn’t work.
Hammonton police then helped in arresting him Wednesday, according to the report.
The Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office has filed to have him detained, Effinger learned during a first appearance in court via video from the Atlantic County Justice Facility.
This is the second such arrest in the township after Decker, who runs MrWEB, and Blake brought their work to the area.
A retired teacher at an all-boys high school in Pennsylvania was also arrested in Atlantic City.
Several more catches are on their respective channels, but no announcements of arrests in those cases have been made at this time.
