Police issued a warning for vigilante groups after civilians lured a suspected child predator to a Bucks County apartment complex, leading to his arrest.
On Thursday, July 17, 2025, around 9:10 p.m., police in Bensalem Township, Pennsylvania, received a call from a member of the internet vigilante group “Predator Poachers.” Police learned a member of the group had been posing as a 13-year-old girl and communicating with Eric Rooney, a 42-year-old man from Philadelphia, for the last eight months on Instagram, investigators said.
Investigators said Rooney made sexually explicit messages while believing he was speaking to an underage girl and planned to have sex with her.
Rooney traveled to an apartment complex on the 2500 block of Knights Road in Bensalem Township on Thursday at 9 p.m., investigators said. When he arrived, he was confronted by members of “Predator Poachers” who then called police.
Rooney was taken into custody and interviewed by Bensalem Police. Rooney allegedly admitted to traveling to the apartment with the intention of having sex with someone he believed to be a 13-year-old girl. He also admitted to using his cellphone to obtain and view child sexual abuse material, according to investigators.
Resources for victims of sexual assault are available through the National Sexual Violence Resources Center and the National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 800-656-4673.
Rooney was charged with attempted involuntary deviant sexual intercourse with a minor, attempted statutory sexual assault, unlawful contact with a minor, attempted corruption of minors, attempted indecent assault of a minor and criminal use of a communication facility. He was arraigned with bail set at 10% of $500,000 and remanded to the Bucks County Correctional Facility. Online court records don’t list legal representation who could speak on his behalf.
Despite the arrest, Bensalem Township Police are still warning vigilante groups to always call law enforcement before making contact with a suspect.
“They’re not police officers trained to take people down,” Bensalem Public Safety Director William McVey told NBC10. “That’s the most dangerous time for a police officer is the point of arrest.”
While Rooney is in custody, McVey said there could be more victims out there. Anyone with information on Rooney should call Bensalem Detectives at 215-633-3719.
Bensalem Police
Bensalem Police Eric Rooney
