Meta engineer arrested in NYC child endangerment sting

An engineering manager for Meta who worked on products for young users was arrested last week in Manhattan on child endangerment charges following an undercover sting operation. Josh Felker, 44, was taken into custody after allegedly admitting he had engaged in explicit online conversations with a person he believed to be a 13-year-old girl.

The arrest stemmed from an operation conducted by Predator Poachers Long Island, a private group that sets up decoy accounts online to identify individuals seeking inappropriate contact with minors. According to the group, Felker initiated contact with one of their decoy accounts posing as a teenage girl in May and maintained regular communication. Investigators allege the conversations quickly turned explicit, with Felker sending photos and videos of a sexual nature, attempting to instruct the decoy on sexual behavior, and trying to arrange an in-person meeting.

Members of the group confronted Felker outside his apartment in the Murray Hill neighborhood. During a recorded encounter that lasted nearly two hours, Felker allegedly acknowledged the communications and his belief that he was speaking with a minor. In a subsequent phone call...