Crime & Safety

Montgomery School Bus Driver Charged With Sex Assault Of 9 Kids

Edward Atoeff sexually assaulted at least 9 kids dating back to the 1960s while serving as a driver for Jastyke Transportation: Police.

MONTGOMERY, NJ — A school bus driver from Montgomery was charged with repeatedly sexually assaulting two victims who were 8 and 12 years old at the time, Somerset County Prosecutor Michael H. Robertson announced.

Edward Atoeff, 84, of Cherry Valley Road, in Montgomery Township was charged with two counts of first-degree aggravated sexual assault and two counts of second-degree sexual assault.

Atoeff sexually assaulted the two victims as well as engaged in sexual contact with at least seven other victims dating back to the 1960s, according to Robertson.

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On Feb. 12, two adult victims reported to Montgomery Police that they were sexually assaulted repeatedly by Atoeff at the ages of 8 and 12 at the time.

An investigation by the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Sex Crimes/Child Abuse Unit and the Montgomery Township Police Department’s detective bureau found that the victims were sexually assaulted by Atoeff, according to reports.

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On March 19, Atoeff was arrested by detectives without incident at his home. An ongoing investigation is continuing to evolve as investigators interview potential witnesses and victims.

Atoeff was found to have encountered the majority of his victims while working in the capacity of a school bus driver for Jastyke Transportation, which he owned and operated, according to the investigation.

There was no time frame provided for how long the sex assaults were going on for.

Atoeff was lodged in the Somerset County Jail, pending a detention hearing.

Anyone with information regarding this investigation is asked to contact the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Sex Crimes/Child Abuse Unit at 908-231-7100 or the Montgomery Township Police Department at 908-359-3222, or via the STOPit app by downloading STOPit to your smart phone at Google Play or the Apple Store and enter the access code “SOMERSETNJ”, or the Somerset County Crime Stoppers’ Tip Line at 1-888-577-TIPS (8477) or online at www.888577tips.org or www.scpo.net and click on either “Crime Stoppers” or “TIPS HOTLINE.” All anonymous Crime Stopper tips will be kept confidential.

(Image via Somerset County Prosecutor's Office: Edward Atoeff, 84, of Cherry Valley Road, in Montgomery Township)

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