Lawsuit Alleges Sexual Abuse At Former Admiral Farragut Academy

PINE BEACH, NJ — A former Ocean County resident has filed a lawsuit against the long-closed Admiral Farragut Academy in Pine Beach, alleging he was sexually abused by another student and that authorities at the former military school did nothing to prevent it.

David Jones, who now lives in Florida, alleges the abuse happened between 1981 and 1983, when he was 11 to 13 years old and a student at the Navy prep school.

Admiral Farragut Academy in Pine Beach closed in 1994 amid financial difficulties and falling enrollment. The school had existed in Pine Beach for decades and had produced some noteworthy alumni, including astronaut Alan Shepard. It has a sister college prep school in St. Petersburg, Florida.

The lawsuit alleges Jones was molested by a student named John Wnek, who was older and was an ensign and battalion commander at the school. Wnek is not named as a defendant in the suit.

Wnek is accused of using his position to groom and sexually abuse Jones. Jones alleges there were about a dozen incidents from 1981 to 1983 and all happened in the dorms at Admiral Farragut, said Jay Mascolo, Jones' attorney.

Mascolo said Wnek is not named in the suit because they want to ensure the focus of the lawsuit stays on the actions of the staff and administration at Admiral Farragut.

"We know we know what the perpetrator did," Mascolo said. "We want to know what did you (Admiral Farragut's staff) know? What kind of safeguards did you have in place?"

Wnek could not immediately be reached for comment. He denied the allegations to the Asbury Park Press, saying, "This is devastating. I would never do anything to hurt anybody."

The lawsuit claims Admiral Farragut authorities "should have known that John Wnek posed a threat of foreseeable harm" and that they failed to take reasonable steps to protect Jones from him.

A phone call to Jones' attorney, J. Silvio Mascolo of the New Brunswick firm Rebenack, Aronow & Mascolo, seeking additional information, was not immediately returned.

The lawsuit, filed Ocean County Superior Court, is among a number of lawsuits that have been filed since Sunday, when the state's new law that took effect on Dec. 1 – created a two-year window for victims to file lawsuits. Child sex abuse victims can sue until they turn 55, or within seven years of realizing the abuse that harmed them. Gov. Phil Murphy signed S-477 into law in May.

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