Former Holy Ghost Prep math teacher charged with child luring after video encounter, police say
A retired math teacher at a private all-male Catholic high school in Bensalem was arrested Tuesday night in Atlantic City following a live-streamed encounter with online citizen sleuths who accused him of arranging a sexual encounter with someone he thought was a 15-year-old boy.
Gerald Colapinto, 65, of Lower Makefield, was charged with one count of luring or enticing a child as a result of the amateur-led sting operation, according to court records.
Colapinto's arrest was captured on YouTube by a group who use social media and technology to expose alleged child sex predators.
Caught on video:Are these citizen stings catching predators or jeopardizing justice?
The 33-minute video of the confrontation and arrest was viewed more than 8,000 times as of Thursday. The channel’s creator goes by the name “Mr. Web.”
Atlantic City Police allege that Colapinto had planned a rendezvous with a 15-year-old boy he met on a dating app at the Harrah’s Casino and Hotel on Tuesday night.
Instead, he was confronted by two men who alleged that they were the 15-year-old boy Colapinto was chatting with on the app, according to court records. The men claimed they had a recording and chat logs of the online conversation.
In the confrontation video, Colapinto claimed he thought the profile was fake when he responded and he did not believe the person was 15 years old. He also denied he intended to meet the teen for a sexual encounter.
After reviewing the dating app chat logs, authorities confirmed that Colapinto believed he was speaking with an underage boy when he sent him nude pictures and arranged to meet, court documents said.
A message left on a cell phone associated with Colapinto was not returned Thursday.
Colapinto taught AP Calculus and geometry at Holy Ghost Preparatory School in Bensalem for 41 years before retiring in 2021, according to the school.
The arrest prompted Holy Ghost Prep Principal Kevin Burke to send an email notifying parents, staff and alumni.
The school has no knowledge of any alleged misconduct involving Colapinto during the years he was employed at the school, school spokesman William Doherty said in an email Thursday
After verifying the arrest with the Atlantic City police department, the school immediately notified Bensalem police and completed and submitted the School Entity Mandatory Reporting form to the Pennsylvania Department of Education, Doherty said.
The school also will cooperate with any investigation into alleged misconduct involving Colapinto, he added.
Other video vigilante arrestsVideo vigilantes strike again in Bucks County. This time in Doylestown
"Predator catchers" target Bucks CountyCentral Bucks man charged in internet sex predator sting after video vigilante confrontation
The former teacher is the latest Bucks County resident to be ensnared by so-called citizen crime fighters inspired by the former Dateline NBC TV series “To Catch a Predator,” who amass large online followings for their DIY justice.
Bucks County police have made three arrests so far this year after being contacted by video vigilante groups after they entrap a suspected child predator.
But the methods these untrained investigators use concern some in law enforcement and criminal justice, who question if their methods put individuals at risk for violence, interfere with legitimate police work and jeopardize prosecutions.
This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Former Holy Ghost Prep teacher charged with child luring
