Man arrested after sex sting in Downtown Pittsburgh

PITTSBURGH — A 24-year-old man is behind bars after a local group says he targeted what he thought was a 15-year-old girl for sex.

As it turns out, it wasn’t a teen at all, but a member of a group committed to stopping child predators.

Channel spoke to Paul and Lindsay, two members of the organization “Altoona Pred Hunters.” Both pose as teens online.

“We don’t initiate anything when it comes to them We wait for them to initiate any sort of conversation,” Lindsay said.

Paul’s latest target was Matthew Grimes. The 24-year-old was convicted of indecent assault back in November of 2022 according to a Megan’s Law posting.

“The subject was asking ‘if we ever meet, would you have sex with me?’” Paul said. “‘What happens if you get pregnant? I want to get you pregnant.’”

Facebook Live video taken by Pred Hunters shows the moment Paul confronted Grimes outside the Downtown Pittsburgh Greyhound Station. the pair had been scheduled to meet Friday, but plans changed. Paul says Grimes wanted to meet Wednesday or he threatened to have sex with a 13-year-old.

This time, Pred Hunters used a physical decoy. It’s played by a 19-year-old who looks younger. Paul said once Grimes touched the decoy, police moved in.

“We’ll go anywhere. If it’s going to keep our children safe, I don’t have a problem traveling and the team doesn’t either.”

Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.

Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW

©2023 Cox Media Group