Jul 20, 2026
A 14-year-old Broken Arrow girl is safe after spending a week with a suspected child predator she met online, prompting a warning from her father for parents to monitor their children's online activity.43-year-old Matthew Puza f aces charges of making lewd proposals to a child and harboring a runaway.WATCH: IN CUSTODY: Man accused of grooming Broken Arrow teenager arrested IN CUSTODY: Man accused of grooming Broken Arrow teenager arrestedThe girl's father, Eric Tole, said his family believed they were doing everything right to keep their daughter, Akayla, safe online."I am a more conservative parent, and we don't allow social media. We do our best to protect her from the dangers of the Internet, Snapchat, Instagram, Discord."But Tole said they later discovered she had been using multiple social media accounts without their knowledge.What began as a runaway report to Broken Arrow Police on July 11 quickly escalated into a multi-agency investigation involving the FBI and the Tulsa Police Department's SPIDER Unit.Tulsa Police Lieutenant Mark Kraft said investigators found evidence the girl had been groomed online."There were a lot of indicators that this likely wasn't just a run-of-the-mill runaway, but there were signs that she had actually been groomed and lured away."The breakthrough came a week later when the FBI located surveillance video from July 11 showing the girl at a QuikTrip talking to Puza, who worked there as a clerk. The video shows Puza walking the girl to a car outside, then meeting her later at a nearby restaurant.Investigators used Flock cameras to track down Puza's vehicle. When officers knocked on his hotel room door, they found the girl inside and arrested him.Kraft said the suspect's behavior fits a pattern."The behaviors that this suspect exhibited are definitely predatory. This is not his first time."Police believe there could be more victims. Tole said he hopes other parents take the case as a warning."If there is anything I can say to parents nowadays, monitor, monitor, monitor their online activities. Have conversations with your child."Anyone with information about this case or contact with Matthew Puza is asked to call Tulsa Crime Stoppers at 918-596-COPS.This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.Stay in touch with us anytime, anywhere -- 2 News Oklahoma on your schedule | Download on your TV, watch for free. How to watch on your streaming device Download our free app for Apple, Android and Kindle devices. Like us on Facebook Follow us on Instagram Watch LIVE 24/7 on YouTube ...read more read less
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