HAZLET – A 41-year-old male convenience store employee in Hazlet has been arrested for
allegedly endangering the welfare of a child after inappropriate conduct with customers who were minors, Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni announced.
Muhammad Ikram, a employee of Sam’s 2, a convenience store on Palmer Avenue,
was arrested on Oct. 28 on three counts of endangering the welfare of a child, and an additional charge of selling tobacco products to minors, according to a press release from the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office.
An investigation was launched after the Hazlet Police Department received several
reports from minors that Ikram was allegedly taking pictures of them while they were in the store in exchange for free merchandise, according to the press release.
On several occasions, Ikram allegedly solicited underage girls for sexually explicit photos in
exchange for vaping products, Gramiccioni said.
Investigators are seeking additional information about Ikram’s activities and are attemptig to identify other possible victims. Anyone with information is asked to contact Hazlet Detective Nicolas Logothetis at 732-264-0763.
If convicted, the defendant is facing up to five years imprisonment on each charge of endangering the welfare of a child and would be subject to parole supervision for life and required to register under Megan’s Law, according to the press release.
