READING, Pa. – A Reading man has been arrested on child pornography and related charges after inappropriately messaging a minor on multiple social media platforms.
Johnathan Cruz, 29, of Reading was arrested by Butler Township police and agents from the PA Attorney General’s office, according to the press release.
The arrest is the result of a 5-month investigation involving a minor who resides in Butler Township, police say.
According to a criminal complaint, Cruz is alleged to have begun sending increasingly inappropriate messages to the victim though social media apps in the summer of 2024, the press release details.
Officials say that the victim stated that Cruz would communicate with her through three social media platforms using different aliases as usernames.
Cruz was aware the victim was a minor shortly after they began communicating, according to police.
The victim reported that Cruz told her to call him “daddy” and they discussed moving in with him when she turned 18 years old. Cruz began sexually grooming the victim by telling her he didn’t want her to leave her house because she “would talk to another boy” and controlling her access to his Sony PlayStation account in exchange for nude photos, the press release says.
Police were contacted by the victim’s mother in May 2025 after becoming suspicious of her daughter’s social media activity.
Working with agents from the Attorney General’s Office, police were able to forensically examine the victim’s phone and corroborate her statement.
Search warrants were served on Discord communication service and revealed additional messages and multimedia, the press release says.
Police say that Cruz was charged with possessing child pornography, unlawful contact with a minor and criminal use of a communication facility, all felonies.
He was taken into custody early Thursday morning in Reading and waived extradition back to Luzerne County.
He was arraigned and jailed in lieu of $50,000 bail.