Bergen Man Alleges Ex-Priest Sexually Abused Him For 20 Years

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — A former Tenafly resident has accused a longtime local priest of sexually abusing him for 20 years, according to reports by NorthJersey.com and The New York Times.

The man, referred to only by his first name, James, recalled the abuse he endured at the hands of Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick, according to the Times' report. It started when he was 11 and McCarrick was 39, NorthJersey.com reported.

McCarrick baptized James in June 1958, just two weeks after his ordination as priest of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Tenafly. It was the first baptism McCarrick performed.

"He had chosen me to be his special boy," James told the Times. "If I go back to my family, they tell me that it’s good for you to be with him. And if you go to try to tell somebody, they say ‘I think you are mistaken.’"

The details of the alleged abuse include McCarrick giving James alcohol and sleeping naked with him, NorthJersey.com reported.

McCarrick was a priest for the Archdiocese of New York when the alleged abuse occurred, said Jim Goodness, spokesman for the Archdiocese of Newark.

Joseph Zwilling, a spokesman with the Archdiocese of New York, said the archdiocese has not seen the allegations beyond what was printed in the Times and NorthJersey.com's stories.

"The gentlemen in question, the person bringing the complaint, neither him or his attorney have contacted the archdiocese yet, nor has law enforcement," Zwilling told Patch. "We hope they do come forward. We look forward to receiving the allegation. The person bringing the allegation would be treated with respect and dignity and we would take it very seriously. We hope they do come forward so that we might be able to assist him in any way we could."

McCarrick left the Newark Archdiocese to become Bishop of Methuchen in 1981. The Times reported Monday that an ex-priest received part of an $80,000 settlement regarding allegations that McCarrick inappropriately touched and sexually harassed him when he was Bishop of Methuchen.

McCarrick also allegedly sexually abused a minor 47 years ago when he was Bishop of Methuchen. The Times reported the alleged victim was a 16-year-old altar boy who was abused in 1971.

The Archdiocesan Review Board investigated the allegations and found them "credible and substantiated," Archbishop of New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan said in a statement.

McCarrick, 88, now lives in the Washington, D.C. area. He has been suspended from the ministry, Zwilling said.

When he heard the news of other abuse allegations brought against McCarrick, James got down on his knees and thanked God that he is not alone, the Times reported.

After McCarrick was removed from the ministry, McCarrick told his family what happened to him.

"It is going to be OK," James said in the report. "And I can tell somebody and someone is going to believe me."

Email daniel.hubbard@patch.com

Photo: Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, archbishop emeritus of Washington, speaks during a news conference with senators and national religious leaders. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)