Editor’s note: This story may be disturbing for some readers.
An elementary school custodian is accused of masturbating on items at work and contaminating students’ food with his body fluids and bleach, New Jersey officials said.
He posted videos online performing these acts at the school, prosecutors said.
Giovanni Impellizzeri has been charged with aggravated assault, two counts of tampering with food products, endangering the welfare of a child, attempting to endanger the welfare of a child and official misconduct, according to a Nov. 3 news release from the Cumberland County Prosecutor’s Office.
Elizabeth Moore School received reports of the “extremely disturbing” videos posted on the texting platform Telegram showing the 25-year-old wiping his genitals with slices of bread and spitting on it before putting the bread back into the container, New Jersey State Police said in an affidavit said.
He is also seen spraying bleach on cucumbers to be served to the students, “with the intention of harming the students,” police said.
He is accused of masturbating and urinating on pillows and kitchen bowls at the school, police said.
Impellizzeri had been employed with Upper Deerfield Township Schools since September 2019, officials said. They are working to determine if the acts occurred recently or in the past, according to the release.
McClatchy News could not immediately reach Upper Deerfield Township Schools for comment on Nov. 3.
The school district is working with the county’s public health department to ensure safe food preparation and sanitation, as well as getting rid of the items Impellizzeri is accused of contaminating, prosecutors said.
Health officials are collecting samples from Impellizzeri to determine if there’s a risk he transmitted infectious diseases to anyone at the school, prosecutors said.
Upper Deerfield Township families are outraged over the incident. They began circulating a petition calling for the superintendent’s resignation.
“After the unimaginably horrifying news from Moore School (and beyond), it is clear we have an absolute and complete failure of leadership at UDTS,” according to the Change.org petition.
The incident reports are dated Monday, Oct. 30. Parents said as of Nov. 3, the only information they had received was a robocall saying “children were not directly involved.”
The petition criticizes the administration for a “botched response to this crisis.”
Upper Deerfield Schools Superintendent Peter Koza wrote in a message addressing the school community that the employee was placed on administrative leave and officials are cooperating in the investigation, according to nj.com.
“Based on the information received at this time it has been determined that the alleged inappropriate activity did not involve anyone other than the individual in question and occurred after school hours,” Koza said, according to the outlet.
Impellizzeri, of Vineland, was booked in Cumberland County Jail and is being held without bond, jail records show.
Cumberland County is in southern New Jersey about 60 miles south of Philadelphia.
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Amanda Smith is a dedicated U.S. correspondent with a passion for uncovering the stories that shape the nation. With a background in political science, she provides in-depth analysis and insightful commentary on domestic affairs, ensuring readers are well-informed about the latest developments across the United States.
