James Queally/The Star-Ledger

Federal investigators arrested 45 pimps and recovered 16 juveniles during a months-long investigation into sex trafficking at the Super Bowl that spanned New Jersey, New York, Connecticut and Pennsylvania, officials said today.

All of the juveniles were between the ages of 13 and 17, and six of the rescued teens were from New Jersey, according to Aaron T. Ford, the Special Agent In Charge of Newark's FBI division. Several international victims of human trafficking were also recovered during the operation, investigators said.

?High-profile special events that draw large crowds have become lucrative opportunities for child prostitution criminal enterprises,? said Ron Hosko, assistant director of the FBI?s Criminal Investigative Division. ?The FBI and our partners remain committed to stopping this cycle of victimization and putting those who try to profit from this type of criminal activity behind bars.?

Several of the rescued teens were high school students and children who had been reported missing by their families in recent month, investigators said. In total, the FBI provided aid to roughly 70 women and children throughout the entire operation.

Ford said the initiative was part of the FBI's Innocence Lost National Initiative, which aims to curb child prostitution. To date, federal investigators have rescued more than 3,000 children from sex trafficking rings and convicted over 1,400 suspects of prostitution related crimes.

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