At Least 27 Pingry Students Were Sexually Abused By Former Teacher, Investigation Finds

BASKING RIDGE, NJ — At least 27 victims were sexually abused by a former Pingry School educator, an investigation by the school revealed.

Officials released the findings of the investigation Tuesday, saying more than two dozen students were sexually abused by "Ted" P. Alton Jr, who worked as a teacher and assistant principal at both school locations in Basking Ridge and Short Hills.

The investigation also uncovered allegations of sexual abuse by two other teachers during the same time period.

Sexual abuse allegations against Alton were made last year by alumni of Pingry, causing the school's board of trustees to hire T&M Protection Resources to conduct an independent investigation into the allegations. The school said its investigation confirmed the abuse by Alton, who was employed by the Pingry School between 1972 and 1978.

"We were heartsick to learn the extent of his pattern of abuse," the school said in a release.

According to the investigation, the abused students interacted with Alton in his capacity as teacher, coach, administrator, camp counselor at Camp Waganaki and scoutmaster of Boy Scout Troop #64.

After Alton left Pingry, it was uncovered that at least one board member found out about the allegations against him a year later, which led to his arrest in the fall of 1979. However, the school did not notify the full parent or faculty communities at that time.

Alton's criminal history:

Alton had been convicted twice in the past for sex-related charges, according to reports.

In 1980, Alton was was convicted of three counts of public lewdness and three counts of impairing the morals of a minor, according to nj.com.

Alton admitted to "playing games of strip poker as well as individual and mutual masturbation with three 12-year-old boys," according to nj.com. Alton was convicted again in 1990 after he moved to upstate New York and was working at a university there by 1981. He was convicted in New York state of two counts of sexual abuse of minors. Alton was incarcerated until 1995.

Alton, now 69, is listed on the New York State Sex Offender Registry with an address in Manhattan.

Two other teachers uncovered in the investigation:

Along with Alton, the investigation confirmed accusations of abuse involving two other former teachers.

Bruce Bohrer, who taught woodshop at Pingry’s Short Hills Campus between 1974 and 1991, is reported to have sexually abused at least three 10- and 11-year-old boys and engaged in sexually inappropriate behavior with at least one 11-year-old boy, between 1978 and 1979.

And Antoine du Bourg, a faculty member at Pingry for 46 years who departed in 2002 and died in 2011, is reported to have engaged in harassing behavior toward and to have had inappropriate physical contact with multiple students over the course of his tenure at Pingry, with the most recent allegation reported occurring in the early 1980s.

"We are devastated by these findings and the reality that these abuses were, for decades, weighing on the survivors without our awareness or our action," the school stated. "And, faculty members’ accounts of observing unusual behavior on the part of their colleagues are particularly troubling when viewed against the standards of institutional accountability and reporting that are in place at Pingry today. For all of these reasons, we want to extend a profound apology to our community."

The Pingry Survivors, the 18 men who were sexually abused as pre-teen boys at The Pingry School in Short Hills, had retained the law firm of Crew Janci LLP last year in an effort to "expose the truth" about Alton.

The law firm began an investigation before the the school announced they would look into the situation.

The Pingry Survivors released the following statement in response to the investigation:

“Ted Alton was able to keep up his illegal and harmful behavior because of a culture that allowed for concealing and ignoring this damaging abuse. It’s important to recognize this and change the system that allowed the abuse to occur and to continue over many years. While the details are disturbing and painful to hear, we hope that exposing the truth at The Pingry School will serve as the first step in the healing process – for ourselves and for the entire Pingry community. We remain hopeful we can work with the school to address what happened in the past and to ensure a safe environment at Pingry in the future.”

The group also posted an open letter to the Pingry community on its website, urging current and past Pingry families and educators to support survivors of the abuse and create a safer school. The full letter is available at PingrySurvivors.org.

“This case is particularly egregious, not only in the details of the abuse, but also the extent and duration of time over which the abuse occurred. And much of the abuse was preventable,” said attorney Stephen Crew of Crew Janci, based in Portland, Oregon. “We’re hopeful The Pingry School will recognize this, acknowledge the lasting impact on survivors and make the necessary changes to protect today’s children.”

Survivors in this case are residents of:

• California
• Connecticut
• Georgia
• Louisiana
• Massachusetts
• Montana
• New Jersey
• North Carolina
• South Carolina
• Texas
• Virginia
• New Brunswick, Canada

Have a news tip? Email alexis.tarrazi@patch.com.

Get Patch breaking news alerts sent right to your phone with our new app. Download here.