Huntington Beach police arrest man lured to park by influencer posing as minor

Huntington Beach police arrested a 61-year-old local man Sunday, who was lured to a park by a social media film crew posing as a juvenile interested in sex, issuing a warning to other would-be armchair vigilantes about the dangers of self-orchestrated stings.

The point of contact between the unnamed social media users and the man — identified as Jerry Robert Mejias, 61, of Huntington Beach — took place that evening at Huntington Beach Central Park.

Police were called to the area at around 7:30 p.m., regarding a report of a disturbance, according to a news release issued Monday.

“It was reported that a social media film crew had confronted an adult male who had made arrangements for sexual contact with a juvenile male,” the release stated. “The male was actually communicating with the social media crew.”

After taking statements and considering “corroborating evidence from the investigation,” officers arrested Mejias, booking him on one count of arranging a meeting with a minor to engage in lewd conduct, according to the release.

Police cautioned residents about the dangers of conducting such sting operations — often performed in a format similar to the NBC television show “To Catch a Predator” — a point HBPD spokeswoman Jessica Cuchilla reiterated Monday.

“We’re always asking people to be good witnesses to crimes and not get involved,” Cuchilla said. “[Because] anything could really happen. Maybe the person they’re trying to get to meet with them, who may be expecting to meet a child, may be armed. There are just so many possibilities.”

News reports in recent years have documented similar acts of “social media vigilantism,” in which online influencers lure potential suspects to surreptitious meetings with minors and then film the results, sometimes involving local police.

In 2024, five Massachusetts college students reportedly communicated with a 22-year-old active-duty military service member through the dating app Tinder, setting up a meeting with a minor and then seizing him as part of a “Catch a Predator” TikTok trend. The students were arraigned on conspiracy and kidnapping charges, but those charges were eventually dropped.

Cuchilla said Monday Huntington Beach Police encountered one incident roughly a year ago involving another social media influencer engaged in a similar operation, although no arrests were made.

Orange County Superior Court records list Mejias as a defendant in five other cases in the past 15 years — four infractions and a 2013 incident involving misdemeanor charges related to driving under the influence, for which he served five years’ probation. It will ultimately be up to the Orange County district attorney’s office to determine whether to press charges against Mejias related to Sunday’s incident.

Anyone who may have information about the arrest or the events leading up to it is asked to call Sgt. Anthony Pham at (714) 878-5640. Anonymous tips may be called in to OC Crime Stoppers at (855) TIP-OCCS (855-847-6227).