Delaware man charged with kidnapping 11-year-old girl he met through Roblox: Police

ByKatherine Scott WPVI logo
Tuesday, October 17, 2023
Delaware man charged for kidnapping girl he met through Roblox
Delaware man charged for kidnapping girl he met through Roblox

BEAR, Delaware -- A 27-year-old man from Bear, Delaware has been charged with kidnapping an 11-year-old girl police said he met through a popular gaming platform.

Police in Wayne, New Jersey were called around 6:45 a.m. on September 10 for a report of a missing child. She was found soon after.

Police determined that 27-year-old Darius Matylewich met the victim while playing Roblox and transported her 135 miles from Wayne, New Jersey, to Bear, Delaware, without her parents' knowledge.

Police did not say how exactly the girl was taken.

Matylewich was extradited and is now being held in a New Jersey jail. He faces up to 30 years in prison if convicted.

Roblox has more than 54 million users each day, nearly half of them under the age of 13.

Roblox provided a statement to ABC News saying they "have reached out to law enforcement and are offering our help."

The statement continued, "We work tirelessly to prevent grooming on our platform and have a team of thousands of moderators who enforce a strict set of community standards...".