‘Missing’ man from Philly arrested in underage sex sting at NJ hotel

A Philadelphia man accused of attempting to arrange the sexual assault of who he thought was a 12-year-old girl now faces human trafficking and attempted sex crimes charges.

Bruce Drelich, 60, of Philadelphia, is being prosecuted by the state Attorney General's Office.

Undercover officer on online app

An undercover law enforcement officer posing as the mother of a 12-year-old girl was contacted by an online app user on April 5, according to a criminal complaint.

The complaint also said the user, after being told the age of the officer's fake daughter, expressed interest in having sex with the girl while their mother watched. They then uploaded a photo of themselves and indicated their first name was Bruce.

Delrich and the undercover officer made plans to meet at a hotel in Bordentown on May 2, according to authorities, and when he arrived, he was arrested.

“Sex crimes targeting children are some of the most disturbing matters my office investigates,” Attorney General Matt Platkin said in a written statement.

“This defendant tried to arrange the sexual assault of a child. Thanks to the diligent work of our investigators and prosecutors, he was arrested and charged without carrying out his plans.”

Suspect was thought 'missing'

According to a Facebook post, Delrich's family believed he went missing after he was arrested and asked for help in finding him. The post mentioned he was set to meet an "online acquaintance" on May 2.

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