TOMS RIVER, NJ — A Toms River man who is on administrative leave from his teaching position at Central Regional High School says a former player illegally accessed his private Instagram account and spread "malicious lies" claiming he had an inappropriate relationship with a student, allegations he categorically denies, according to a lawsuit.
Daniel Torsiello, who teaches world history at Ocean County College and coaches the women's volleyball team, filed a $1 million libel and defamation lawsuit on May 1 against the student and her family, according to court documents.
Contact information for the family was not immediately available and no attorney was listed in court records.
Torsiello coached boys volleyball and girls basketball at Central Regional but also was removed from those positions in February when the school district placed him on administrative leave, according to the lawsuit.
Torsiello had given the student access to the Central Regional girls basketball Instagram account to post about the team's games, successes and activities, but the student was able to use that access to get into Torsiello's personal Instagram account, according to the lawsuit.
On Jan. 31, the student, who is identified only by her initials, shared explicit photos from Torsiello's private account that were photos of him and other adults, according to the lawsuit.
"He never shared his personal Instagram username and password with (the student) or any other student for that matter," the lawsuit said.
Torsiello was placed on administrative leave on Feb. 2, according to the lawsuit.
On Feb. 17, photos, screenshots and videos began circulating on social media about Torsiello, accusing him of an inappropriate relationship with a student at Central, according to the lawsuit.
That led to a protest at Central Regional by students demanding action from the district. Superintendent Michelle CarneyRay-Yoder said at the time the district was aware of the allegations and reported them to authorities.
As of May 19, there have been no charges filed against Torsiello. The Ocean County Prosecutor's Office has not commented on the matter or said whether there is or was an investigation.
Torsiello's attorney sent letters to the student and her family, and to Meta and the Facebook group Jersey Coast Emergency News demanding the material be removed but neither responded, the lawsuit says.
Jersey Coast Emergency News, which circulated much of the material and allegations, and its administrators, are not named as defendants in the lawsuit.
A second letter to the student and her family, dated March 9, demands a public written retraction and correction from the student "clarifying that she has no evidence of any inappropriate relationship between Torsiello and any student," along with the removal of all of the screenshots and reposts within the student's control.
That letter was not answered, the lawsuit says.
It has caused him "significant financial hardship," according to the lawsuit.
His salary at Central Regional was $80,000 and he received stipends totaling $16,300 for the two head coaching positions. He also received $7,000 to coach women's volleyball at OCC and he lost more than $23,000 in income from other coaching, according to the lawsuit.
Torsiello also said a nonprofit he founded in 2022, The Kivu Project, that builds schools and provides food and medical and other humanitarian aid in the Congo, has struggled with its fundraising in the wake of the claims.
"(The student's) statements and material published on various social media websites misrepresented Torsiello's character, history, activities or beliefs that a reasonable person in Torsiello's position would find the material defamatory, malicious, highly offensive and cause for extraordinary undue emotional distress," the lawsuit says.
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