Drew Martucci
Introduction
Drew Martucci is a New Jersey firefighter who worked for both the Jersey City Fire Department and Old Bridge Fire District 3 and who was arrested at his Monroe Township home on October 20, 2026 on nine child sexual exploitation counts, including first-degree production of child sexual abuse material. Authorities allege the 27-year-old misrepresented himself as a minor online to produce child sexual abuse material. Following the arrest, both of his fire departments immediately suspended him without pay, and he remains in custody pending a pretrial detention hearing.
Background Information
Martucci lived in Monroe Township, New Jersey and was employed as a firefighter in Jersey City and with Old Bridge Fire District 3 at the time of his arrest. The case grew out of a cyber tip concerning suspected online child exploitation that the New Jersey State Police forwarded to the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office, where Detective Ken McGarry of the office’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Unit investigated the allegations. Prosecutors have not publicly disclosed the number of alleged victims, their ages, or the specific online platforms involved.
The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation
Charged, not convicted. Martucci faces criminal charges that have not been tried. He is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
According to prosecutors, the investigation alleged that Martucci posed as a minor online to produce sexual abuse material involving minors — an inversion of the more common adult-posing patterns that made the case unusual among ICAC prosecutions. After the investigation, investigators executed a court-authorized search warrant at his Monroe Township residence on October 20, where he was taken into custody without incident. The operation involved the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office ICAC Unit, the FBI Child Exploitation/Human Trafficking Task Force, Monroe Township police, the Middlesex County ICAC Task Force, and the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office ESD K-9 Unit.
The search produced nine criminal counts: first-degree production of child sexual abuse material; second-degree manufacturing of child sexual abuse material; second-degree attempted manufacturing of child sexual abuse material; second-degree distribution of child sexual abuse material; third-degree endangering the welfare of a child; third-degree possession of child sexual abuse material; third-degree invasion of privacy; and two counts of third-degree distributing obscene material to a child. The production count alone carries a sentencing exposure measured in decades under New Jersey law if proven.
Public Reaction and Consequences
Both employers acted the same day: after being notified of the charges, Jersey City and Old Bridge Fire District 3 immediately suspended Martucci without pay. The suspensions, as prosecutors noted, are administrative employment actions taken in response to the charges and do not constitute findings of criminal guilt. Middlesex County Prosecutor Linda Estremera and Monroe Township Police Chief Griffin Banos jointly announced the arrest, and the multi-agency nature of the operation — spanning two counties and the FBI — reflected the scale of the allegation set.
Englebrook Independent News framed its coverage with a warning to parents about recognizing online child exploitation, noting that the alleged perpetrator in the case was himself posing as a child. No statement from Martucci, his attorneys, or either fire department beyond the suspension confirmations was reported in the charging coverage.
Current Status
Martucci was transported to the Middlesex County Adult Correctional Facility, where he remains in custody pending the outcome of a pretrial detention hearing. Authorities had not announced a date for that hearing or disclosed whether additional criminal charges are anticipated. All nine counts remain unadjudicated, and the investigation has not been declared complete.
Impact on Their Career/Life
Martucci’s firefighting career, which spanned two departments simultaneously, is suspended without pay in both places as of the day of his arrest, and the weight of the charges — led by a first-degree production count — means that a conviction would carry a term far beyond any conceivable return to the fire service. Even before any trial, he has lost both positions, his liberty pending a detention hearing, and standing in the two communities he served as a firefighter.
Sources
- Englebrook Independent News: “Firefighter Accused Of Posing As A Minor Online To Produce Child Sexual Abuse Material; Nine Criminal Counts Filed As Jersey City & Old Bridge Suspend Him Without Pay” source
- RLS Media: “Jersey City, Old Bridge Firefighter Suspended Following Arrest in Online Exploitation Investigation” source