NJ man accused of sexual assault on 2 teens he met online, police say

A Middletown man is facing sexual assault charges for allegedly engaging in an inappropriate sexual relationship with a 13 and a 15-year-old girl that he met through an online dating website, authorities said Wednesday.

Joseph Corio, 22, was arrested on March 15 for two counts of sexual assault and endangering the welfare of a child, according to the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office.

Police say that sometime around September 2015, Corio allegedly met the 15-year-old victim on a dating website and "began an inappropriate sexual relationship." She then introduced Corio to the 13-year-old, after which time he allegedly "began to engage in illegal sexual acts" with her as well.

On Tuesday, officers from the Ocean County Sheriff's Department executed a search warrant for the suspect's home and vehicle in order to gather additional information for their investigation. Corio was placed under arrest and is being held on $100,000 bail with no 10 percent option, authorities said.

In addition, the Prosecutor's Office said Nicole's Law was implemented which will prevent Corio from having any contact with the two victims.

Toniann Antonelli is the digital managing editor for news at NJ 101.5. Reach her at toniann.antonelli@townsquaremedia.com, or on Twitter @ToniRadio1015.