Joshua Aja, a 39-year-old man from Las Vegas, has been arrested on 22 charges, including several counts of lewdness with a child and sexual assault against a child, as per police records. The Las Vegas Metro Police took Aja into custody following allegations of sexual abuse involving multiple children.
The investigation began in October when a child under the age of 10 reported being forced to perform oral sex on Aja. According to the documents, the abuse started in 2020 and continued until 2023. The child reportedly sought Aja’s help initially, but he too allegedly subjected the child to sexual abuse.
Police documents further reveal that Aja brought two additional children into the room and coerced the victim to perform oral sex on them. He is also accused of using the threat of publishing explicit photos and videos on Facebook as a means to silence the child.
During an official interview, the child disclosed numerous instances of sexual abuse. Another child involved told authorities that Aja had sworn him to secrecy regarding their interactions. A third child reported that Aja coerced him into going to the bedroom by threatening physical punishment. Aja allegedly used his cellphone to monitor the house’s front door while the assaults took place.
The assaults reportedly ceased in May. All the children involved were known to Aja, but their specific relationship to him was not detailed in the documents obtained.
When police contacted Aja for an interview on November 1, he allegedly assumed the allegations were specific to a particular child before being informed of the details by the authorities. During the interview, Aja initially denied the allegations, claiming he loved the children deeply and would never harm them. However, he later confessed to a single incident involving one of the children.
Judge Amy Ferreira denied Aja bail at his initial court appearance on November 5. He remains detained at the Clark County Detention Center, with a preliminary hearing set for December 11.
For those affected by sexual assault, the National Sexual Assault Online Hotline is available 24/7 at 1-800-656-4673. To report a crime anonymously, individuals can contact Crime Stoppers at 702-385-5555 or visit crimestoppersofnv.com.
