Middletown Police Notified Twice Of Allegations Against Teacher

MIDDLETOWN, NJ — Here are new details on the sex assault charge against Justin McGhee, the Middletown North girls' basketball coach accused of engaging in a sexual relationship with an underage female student.

It was in December that a Middletown Police detective first received a report that McGhee was having an inappropriate relationship with a student, according to an affidavit the Monmouth County Prosecutor released Thursday.

That first allegation did not name the student, according to the affidavit.

On Jan. 26 that same detective received another report, this time from a Middletown school official, and alleging McGhee had inappropriate contact with a student.

The school district received word of the allegations via email, said police.

According to the affidavit, after the second allegation was made, Middletown Police discovered a report of a "suspicious" incident in another town, where McGhee was found with a teenage girl in a car after midnight.

The teen girl, under the age of 18, was enrolled in the Middletown public school system.

Middletown Police then interviewed the girls' parents and then the girl herself, who told police she and the teacher had been involved in a relationship that turned sexual, according to the affidavit. Middletown Police also interviewed McGhee at Middletown Police headquarters, who "confessed to the sexual relationship with the student, specifically stating that the encounters sexual in nature occurred in the basement of his house," according to the affidavit.

McGhee, who lives in Ocean Township, was arrested Tuesday and taken to the Monmouth County jail. He is charged with second-degree sexual assault and second-degree child endangerment.

McGhee is also a gym/health teacher at Middletown North, and an assistant football coach for the Middletown North Lions. The district placed him on paid administrative leave after he was arrested, pending the outcome of the criminal charges against him.

The inappropriate relationship between McGhee and the teen began late last year, allege Middletown Police. His Apple iPhone and Apple Watch were also seized by Middletown Police to be searched for evidence.

Wednesday's report: Middletown North Basketball Coach Charged With Sex Assault Of Student

Patch incorrectly reported in an initial version of this story that Middletown Police did not investigate the first allegation in December. That is incorrect, said the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office. They did investigate.

Middletown Police released this statement Thursday night after this article was published:

On January 30, 2025, Patch published an article titled “Middletown Police Notified Twice of Sex Allegations Against Teacher,” with a phrase in the first paragraph erroneously reporting that the Middletown Township Police Department failed to investigate the initial report that led to criminal charges being filed in this case. That is demonstrably false.

While Patch has since reworded this portion of the article and also published a correction, additional clarification is now necessary. The rush to publish this article before fact checking and final approval by the reporter and or editorial staff proved to be irresponsible journalism.

Due to the ongoing nature of this investigation, Middletown Twp. Police cannot comment on case-specific facts and events that led to the arrest of Justin McGhee, 35, of Ocean Twp.

However, the initially published portrayal of the investigation in this article was highly speculative and again, inaccurate. Upon receipt of the initial report, police initiated an investigation. However, due to the very limited information provided there was insufficient evidence to indicate that any crime had been committed. Furthermore, at no time did any of the information provided to the police identify the victim, nor did either report indicate that McGhee’s actions were sexual in nature.

Ultimately, upon receipt of the secondary report, police were able to go forward with the investigation, which culminated in the arrest of McGhee, less than 24 hours later.

Middletown Police Police Chief R. Craig Weber stated, “This agency takes crimes of this nature very seriously and thoroughly investigates each and every tip or allegation of criminal activity to the fullest extent possible. Any report or suggestion to the contrary is patently false. This police department will always take every step necessary to safeguard and protect the community.”

Anyone with additional information pertaining to this investigation is urged to contact Detective Ricardo Cruz at (732) 615-2120 or Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office Det. David Sidorakis at (800) 533-7443.

Contact Patch reporter Carly Baldwin at Carly.baldwin@patch.com.