Lower Township, New Jersey – Cape May County ProsecutorJeffrey H. Sutherland and Chief Donald Vanaman of the Lower Township Police Department announce the arrest of Thomas J. Crandley, a 50-year-old male resident of the Villas section of Lower Township, New Jersey, for the charges of Endangering the Welfare of a Child (Manufacturing and Possession of CSAM).
This investigation stemmed from two (2) National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (N.C.M.E.C.) Cyber-Tips that revealed an unidentified subject, subsequently identified as Thomas J. Crandley, uploaded various images of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM).
On October 13, 2026, as a result of the investigation, members of the Cape May County Regional SWAT Team conducted a motor vehicle stop and took Crandley into custody in Lower Township, New Jersey. Court-authorized search warrants were subsequently executed at Crandley’s residence by the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office High Technology Crimes Unit and ICAC Task Force, the Cape May County Regional SWAT Team, the Lower Township Police Department, the Cape May Police Department, the Wildwood Crest Police Department and the U.S. Homeland Security Investigations – Atlantic City (HSI).
At the conclusion of the investigation, Thomas J. Crandley was charged with Endangering the Welfare of a Child (Manufacturing of Child Pornography), a crime of the second-degree, and Endangering the Welfare of a Child (Possession of Child Pornography), a crime of the third degree.
Thomas J. Crandley was lodged in the Cape May County Correctional Center, pending court proceedings. Contact: Jeffrey H. Sutherland County Prosecutor Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office 4 Moore Road, DN-110 Cape May Court House, NJ08210-1601 Telephone: (609) 465-1135 Fax: (609) 465-1347 Website: www.cmcpros.net NEWS Individuals charged with a second-degree crime is subject to a term of imprisonment of five (5) to ten (10) years in New Jersey State Prison and an individual charged with a third-degree crime is subject to a term of imprisonment of three (3) to five (5) years in New Jersey State Prison. Prosecutor Sutherland would also like to thank the Lower Township Police Department, the Cape May Police Department, the Wildwood Crest Police Department and U.S. Homeland Security Investigations – Atlantic City (HSI) for their assistance with this investigation.
Prosecutor Sutherland further relayed that this investigation is part of the ongoing effort by the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office High-Tech Crimes Unit & Internet Crimes Against Children (I.C.A.C.) Task Force and the New Jersey State Police Internet Crimes Against Children (I.C.A.C.) Task Force to identify individuals involved in the exploitation of children and who possess and/or distribute child exploitation materials. Prosecutor Sutherland continues to urge the citizens of Cape May County to report any information regarding child exploitation or any criminal activity within the community. Information can be reported to the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office at 609-465-1135, or anonymously on the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office website at cmcpo.tips.
*Any charges are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless he is proven guilty.