Feds say NJ man went overseas, had sex with teen he met on app

🚨 Jacob Bauer communicated with a teen via Discord, officials say

🚨 He flew to Norway to meet her

🚨 Others on the server turned Bauer into the FBI

TOMS RIVER — An Ocean County man was charged after traveling to Norway for sex with a 14-year-old girl he met online, according to U.S. Attorney Alina Habba.

Jacob Bauer, 28, of Toms River, made the trip in December 2023 to meet the teen he met via the virtual social media platform Discord, officials said.

They met up at a hotel less than a mile from her home, according to the complaint. They had sex during one of the two times they met, officials said.

Several months after his return from Norway, Bauer talked about the trip with other Discord members. When the members learned the age of the girl, they doxxed him, or posted his public information online, and alerted the FBI that he created child abuse sexual material.

"The conduct here is as reprehensible as it is egregious: a then-27-year-old male took pains to plan international travel from New Jersey to Norway for the purpose of having sex with a 14-year-old girl," Habba said. "These charges underscore how we are standing up for the most vulnerable and will not tolerate the sexual abuse of children."

An ex-girlfriend made the travel arrangements for Bauer and paid for the trip but told investigators she was not aware of the age of the teen, according to the complaint.

Bauer was charged by complaint with one count of traveling with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct and one count of engaging in illicit sexual conduct in a foreign place. He made his initial appearance in federal court on April 2.

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New Jersey sues Discord

Discord is a server that allows a user to create an online community to create voice, video and text messages.

On Thursday, New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin announced a lawsuit against Discord for what he says are deceptive and unconscionable business practices that misled parents about the effectiveness of its safety controls. As a result, children in New Jersey were exposed to sexual and violent content leaving them vulnerable to online predators, Platkin said.

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