Police unsure when janitor's alleged sex acts with school food happened
UPPER DEERFIELD TWP. — A custodian at the township’s Elizabeth F. Moore School is in jail for allegedly performing sexual acts with “inanimate objects” at work and contaminating food and eating utensils with bleach, saliva, urine and feces.
The Cumberland County Prosecutor’s Office on Friday disclosed the arrest of Giovanni A. Impellizzeri, 25, of the 700 block of East Chestnut Avenue in Vineland. A mandatory pre-trial detention hearing has not been held yet in county Superior Court.
Investigators are trying to determine whether the alleged acts took place recently.
Prosecutor Jennifer Webb-McRae said an arrest was made Oct. 31 based on a New Jersey State Police investigation.
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Webb-McRae said the initial charges filed were: one count of third-degree aggravated assault; two counts of third-degree food tampering; one count of third-degree endangering the welfare of a child; and one count of third-degree attempted endangering of the welfare of a child.
On Thursday, Impellizzeri also was charged with one count of second-degree official misconduct. He is held in Cumberland County Jail.
A criminal charge is not proof of guilt. The charge only starts the judicial review process.
According to the prosecutor and a court filing, school authorities contacted state police on Oct. 30. School authorities had received multiple anonymous tips about social media posts, allegedly by the defendant, being seen on an encrypted texting application called Telegram.
“Authorities retrieved multiple screenshots and video postings of defendant in a school setting performing sexual acts with inanimate objects at the school,” according to the prosecutor’s statement. “The defendant is alleged to have tampered with or otherwise contaminated food products and utensils located within the school cafeteria with bleach and personal bodily fluids (including saliva, urine and feces) that were allegedly offered for consumption to school students and/or staff.”
The statement says Impellizzeri also allegedly put personal body fluids on other items at another area in the school. State police recovered items matching or similar to those seen in videos.
According to the state police report, Impellizzeri allegedly took utensils and wiped them on parts of his body, put different bodily fluids onto pillows and kitchen bowls, sprayed bleach into a container of cucumbers later served to children.
The posts also allegedly show the defendant wiping bread on parts of his body and spitting on bread, which later was served to children.
Webb-McRae said the school district has employed the defendant since September 2019. The elementary school has about 240 students in grades three through five.
Ongoing actions related to the case include:
The Upper Deerfield School District and Cumberland County Health Department are taking steps to ensure food preparation, including utensils and surfaces, are sanitized and contaminated food products are thrown out.
Bodily fluid specimens are being taken from the defendant to check for infectious diseases and determine potentials for transference to food. Personal notifications will follow once determinations are made. County health officials recommend anyone not feeling well contact their doctor.
Anyone with information should contact state police Detective Alex Angerman at (856) 451-0101. Additionally, information can be sent online to CCPO.TIPS.
Joe Smith is a N.E. Philly native transplanted to South Jersey 36 years ago, keeping an eye now on government in South Jersey. He is a former editor and current senior staff writer for The Daily Journal in Vineland, Courier-Post in Cherry Hill, and the Burlington County Times.
Have a tip? Reach out at jsmith@thedailyjournal.com. Support local journalism with a subscription.
This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Vineland man charged with contamination of Upper Deerfield school food
