A janitor at an elementary school in New Jersey is facing charges for sexually tampering with students’ food and kitchen utensils. Giovanni Impellizeri was arrested on Oct. 31 for the alleged assault, in a shock to the school’s families and overall community.
According to Insider, the 25-year-old was accused of spreading his bodily fluids, including saliva, urine, and feces, on the items while on the job at Elizabeth F. Moore School in Upper Deerfield Township. A day before his arrest, law enforcement received anonymous tips about the actions.
As detailed in the probable cause affidavit released by the Cumberland County Prosecutor’s Office, videos posted to social media displayed the assailant wiping his genital area with bread slated for the third through fifth graders. The clips also allegedly showcase Impellizzeri spitting on the bread, in addition to “masturbating and urinating” on pillows and kitchen bowls that belonged to the school.
In a move that was suspected to harm the children, the footage also allegedly showed Impellizzeri spraying bleach on cucumbers, as the chemical is poisonous if consumed. Parents of the students expressed their discontentment to CBS News, declaring that they were uninformed of the full extent of the gross misdeeds. While the school has been sanitized with all recognized objects removed, it remains unclear how long the actions occurred.
Many parents at the New Jersey school are testing to see if their children were exposed to any infectious diseases Impellizzeri, who was an employee since 2019, may have had, as the kids may have consumed or used the items he violated. Investigators are also testing his samples to see all illnesses at risk of being transmitted.
“I had no idea it was going to be to this extent. None,” shared parent Natalie Schmidt to the news outlet. “I am like freaking out right now. I have to take my kid and get him a whole workup done medically because I don’t know what he has ingested.”
A petition for the immediate resignation of the district’s superintendent, Peter Koza, has garnered over 500 signatures in light of how the situation has been handled through many parents feeling misinformed.
As for Impellizzeri, the former custodian is in custody at Cumberland County Jail and is facing multiple charges of aggravated assault, child endangerment, and food tampering.
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