MAYS LANDING – A 66-year-old Barnegat man accused of attempting to lure and sexually assault a child remains jailed as prosecutors prepare to bring his case before a grand jury and add more charges based on newly reviewed digital evidence.
James M. Hadley appeared in Superior Court on April 24 for a pre-indictment conference before Atlantic County Superior Court Judge Joseph Levin, where Atlantic County Assistant Prosecutor Jasmine Ostrow told the court the case is moving forward. “This case will be going to the grand jury,” Ostrow said. She also said investigators have uncovered additional evidence that could expand the charges.
Hadley remains in custody at the Atlantic County Justice Facility.
Ostrow told the court that investigators reviewing Hadley’s electronic devices located numbers of files she described as child sexual abuse material, commonly referred to as CSAM. The discovery is expected to result in an additional second-degree charge when the case is presented to the grand jury. “We did locate over 1,000 items of CSAM,” Ostrow said.
Some of the digital evidence remains under review as authorities continue trying to access locked devices. Prosecutors told the court that a passcode previously provided did not work for at least one phone. Defense attorney Steven Colianni, appearing on Hadley’s behalf while attorney Edward Appel was unavailable, said he would coordinate with Appel and Hadley to address the issue.
“Either Mr. Appel or myself could go and visit Mr. Hadley in the jail and get the information,” Colianni said.
The charges currently pending against Hadley stem from a March 12 investigation by Pleasantville police. According to the affidavit of probable cause, the case began when a mother went through her child’s phone and found explicit material and a conversation with an adult male. Police later identified the messaging platform involved as “Zangi.”
Investigators allege the adult male was Hadley and that he engaged in sexually explicit conversations with someone he allegedly met at his home on a previous occasion for a sexual encounter. The affidavit says the messages referenced the child’s age and included discussions about meeting in person, along with an offer of $200 in exchange for sexual activity.
Authorities arranged for the meeting to take place at a residence in Pleasantville. When Hadley arrived, he was taken into custody. According to the affidavit, officers recovered $200 and what investigators described as lubricant intended for sexual activity. The complaint identifies the juvenile as a 13-year-old male.
Hadley is currently charged with second-degree luring or enticing a minor, second-degree sexual assault, third-degree endangering the welfare of a child, and fourth-degree criminal sexual contact. Prosecutors indicated that additional counts, including those tied to the alleged possession of child sexual abuse material, will be presented to the grand jury.
The case has drawn additional attention because of Hadley’s connections to young people. Authorities indicated he coached youth sports outside the Barnegat school system. He had also recently been appointed as a dean at Ocean County College and has since been released from that position as confirmed by college representatives.
Judge Levin said the case must be presented to a grand jury by early June, with Hadley expected to return to court later that month if an indictment is issued. Until then, he remains in custody.
As with all criminal cases, the charges are accusations, and Hadley is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
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