Secaucus Man Charged in Child Exploitation Case 11 Months After Police Tip
What happened
Where it happened
- Secaucus, Hudson County.
What remains unclear
- How the case started The investigation began in December 2025, when Secaucus police received a tip that an image depicting child sexual abuse material had been uploaded from a storage medium registered to Hindle, police said.
- Investigators later determined that Hindle possessed a video depicting child sexual abuse material and distributed it, according to the release.
- Asked by Patch why the charges took that long, Miller said, "The investigation was and still is ongoing." Patch also reported that Hindle is a part-time town employee at the Recreation Center.
The tip came in last December. The arrest came this week.
Secaucus police say a 27-year-old local man had a video of child sexual abuse material and shared it. On Tuesday, Nov. 3, detectives searched his Schopmann Drive home, seized his devices and took him to the Hudson County jail.
Thomas J. Hindle Jr., 27, of Secaucus, is charged with two counts of endangering the welfare of a child, according to a release from Police Chief Dennis Miller. The charges fall under N.J.S.A. 2C:24-4b(5)(b)(iii) and 2C:24-4b(5)(a)(i). Under state law, those sections cover possessing fewer than 1,000 items of child sexual abuse material and distributing such material. Police did not state the degree of either charge.
How the case started
The investigation began in December 2025, when Secaucus police received a tip that an image depicting child sexual abuse material had been uploaded from a storage medium registered to Hindle, police said.
Investigators later determined that Hindle possessed a video depicting child sexual abuse material and distributed it, according to the release.
Nearly a year between the tip and the charges
About 11 months passed between that tip and Tuesday's arrest. Asked by Patch why the charges took that long, Miller said, "The investigation was and still is ongoing."
Patch also reported that Hindle is a part-time town employee at the Recreation Center. The police release does not mention his employment, and JerseyTalks has not independently confirmed it.
The search and the arrest
On Nov. 3, Secaucus detectives, assisted by the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) units of the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office and the New Jersey State Police, carried out a court-authorized search of Hindle's Schopmann Drive residence, police said. Several electronic devices and hard drives belonging to him were seized.
Hindle was arrested, charged and lodged in the Hudson County jail.
In the release, Miller said the department "will continue to hunt anyone who victimizes our most vulnerable population, our children." He noted the department joined the ICAC task force in 2022.
What's next
Police said the investigation is ongoing and additional charges may follow. JerseyTalks will update this story as the case moves through court.
The charges are accusations. Hindle is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Source: Secaucus Police Department. Originally reported by Patch.
Photo: Secaucus Police Department.
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