PETERS TOWNSHIP, PA - A senior at Peters Township High School is facing hundreds of charges after authorities said he exploited multiple juveniles to send him pornographic videos or photos of themselves.
Authorities said the investigation into the "large-scale criminal network," involving catfishing and sextortion, began on December 5, 2025, WTAE reported. The criminal complaint states that authorities interviewed 30 juveniles connected to the case, with at least 21 of those juveniles identified as victims of the catfishing and sextortion scheme.
The alleged suspect, 18-year-old Zachariah Meyers, used social media, including TikTok and Telegram, to lure the other juveniles to connect with him. "It's not the predator who traveled from far away. It is the predator who was sitting next to them in class," said Alicia Kozak, an internet safety expert and speaker.
Meyers allegedly catfished some of the victims by pretending to be fictitious people using photos and videos of people who were not involved. One of the fictitious personas, police said, used images of an adult film actress from a different country.
"Meyers was able to deceive and coerce juvenile males into sending explicit pornographic images and videos of themselves," authorities said in their report. In one case, officials said Meyers directed a juvenile to have sexual intercourse with two adult men, record video inside a gym locker room and then send those videos to an account.
"This is a truly violent sexual predator. You do not need to physically touch somebody to sexually violate them," Kozak said. Meyers was identified as a suspect by police after they said they executed a search warrant for information on the social usernames and Google accounts being used on the platforms.
On February 20, police took Meyers into custody for questioning in connection with the case. He faces more than 300 charges, including dozens of counts of sexual abuse of children, sexual exploitation of children, and sexual extortion. Meyers has since been arraigned.
Peters Township School District sent out a statement, saying: "Earlier today, the Peters Township Police made the District aware of an ongoing investigation related to a student at Peters Township High School. The police have indicated that there is no immediate safety risk to our schools, and we will continue to cooperate fully with the investigation.
"The safety and well-being of our students, staff, and families remain our highest priority, and we appreciate all the efforts of the Peters Township Police in this matter."
Authorities said the investigation into the "large-scale criminal network," involving catfishing and sextortion, began on December 5, 2025, WTAE reported. The criminal complaint states that authorities interviewed 30 juveniles connected to the case, with at least 21 of those juveniles identified as victims of the catfishing and sextortion scheme.
The alleged suspect, 18-year-old Zachariah Meyers, used social media, including TikTok and Telegram, to lure the other juveniles to connect with him. "It's not the predator who traveled from far away. It is the predator who was sitting next to them in class," said Alicia Kozak, an internet safety expert and speaker.
Meyers allegedly catfished some of the victims by pretending to be fictitious people using photos and videos of people who were not involved. One of the fictitious personas, police said, used images of an adult film actress from a different country.
"Meyers was able to deceive and coerce juvenile males into sending explicit pornographic images and videos of themselves," authorities said in their report. In one case, officials said Meyers directed a juvenile to have sexual intercourse with two adult men, record video inside a gym locker room and then send those videos to an account.
"This is a truly violent sexual predator. You do not need to physically touch somebody to sexually violate them," Kozak said. Meyers was identified as a suspect by police after they said they executed a search warrant for information on the social usernames and Google accounts being used on the platforms.
On February 20, police took Meyers into custody for questioning in connection with the case. He faces more than 300 charges, including dozens of counts of sexual abuse of children, sexual exploitation of children, and sexual extortion. Meyers has since been arraigned.
Peters Township School District sent out a statement, saying: "Earlier today, the Peters Township Police made the District aware of an ongoing investigation related to a student at Peters Township High School. The police have indicated that there is no immediate safety risk to our schools, and we will continue to cooperate fully with the investigation.
"The safety and well-being of our students, staff, and families remain our highest priority, and we appreciate all the efforts of the Peters Township Police in this matter."
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