Kearny Man, Former DYFS Employee, Admits To Having Child Porn Photos

KEARNY, NJ — A former caseworker for the New Jersey Department of Children and Family Services admitted to having child pornography on his cell phone, U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger announced Wednesday.

The man is Trent Collier, 57, of Kearny. He pleaded guilty Tuesday, May 21 to one count of possession of child pornography and one count of transportation of child pornography.

The children in the photos on his phone were described as "prepubescent" and under the age of 12, according to the indictment against him.

Some of the photos found on his phone showed the sexual abuse of toddlers, said federal prosecutors.

Collier used to work for New Jersey's Division of Child Protection and Permanency, which investigates child abuse in New Jersey. As a caseworker, Collier would often travel to homes and personally meet with children and families. He no longer works for the state agency.

Collier was arrested Sept. 28, 2021 after he arrived at Newark Liberty International Airport aboard a flight from the Dominican Republic. Law enforcement officers searched Collier’s cell phone and say they found at least two images of child sex abuse. In a statement to law enforcement, Collier admitted that he texted a photo to at least one other individual, and that the individual sent an image back.

Federal prosecutors did not say what initially prompted them to search Collier's phone, or how they obtained a warrant to do so.

A later deeper search of Collier’s phone uncovered multiple additional images of child sexual abuse, including images depicting the sexual exploitation of toddlers, said U.S. Attorneys.