A 58-year-old township man who served as a substitute teacher in the Nutley School District has been arrested and charged with five counts of endangering the welfare of a minor and one count of lewdness after he allegedly exposed his genitals last week and potentially last month during class, the Nutley Police Department said.
Nutley Police Director Alphonse Petracco and Chief Thomas Strumolo announced the arrest Richard Dunn, a substitute teacher at Nutley High School.
Chief Strumolo said Dunn had been under investigation over the past week for allegations of inappropriate behavior while teaching class on March 10. After several students reported the incident, additional information came to light about another incident that took place Feb. 1.
In that incident, a video surfaced of the teacher reportedly touching his genitals. But, according to the Nutley PD, that video was not released to them until after word spread about March 10 reports. Note: both incidents allegedly occurred in the high school, not the middle school, as some reports stated.
Nutley police and the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office say they ultimately found enough probable cause to charge Dunn for both incidents.
Dunn was arrested Tuesday March 15, near Prospect and Race streets without incident and was taken to police headquarters for processing. He was later remanded to the Essex County Correctional Facility, pending court.
The Nutley Police Department stressed they hadn’t been informed of the Feb. 1 incident allegedly involving Dunn until information got to them about the March 10 incident. Reports in the New York City media incorrectly indicated otherwise — those reports inaccurately said the teacher was allowed to enter school buildings despite the accusations. This never happened.
“Protecting children and the residents of this community is our number one concern,” Petracco said. “When police are called upon to investigate allegations as serious as the ones reported last week, we prioritize our efforts to ensure no one is at risk.”
Petracco and Strumolo both commended Nutley detectives, school administrators and the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office for working cooperatively to resolve this investigation.
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