Suit Alleges Rape, Torture By Ocean Co. Fire Academy Instructor

TOMS RIVER, NJ — A Toms River woman whose federal lawsuit alleges she was raped and tortured by a Ocean County Fire Academy instructor has scheduled a news conference for Friday where she will publicly reveal her identity, her attorney announced.

The lawsuit, filed April 25 in U.S. District Court in Trenton, claims the instructor, John Syers Jr., raped the woman at his home on Sept. 26, 2018 despite her repeated pleas for him to stop. Syers has denied the allegations, claiming the encounter was consensual, and says he has taken a polygraph test to back it up, according to a report.

The woman, who is a Toms River resident and Seaside Heights firefighter, met Syers while she was a student at the fire academy. She is identified only by her initials in the lawsuit, but her attorney, Robert Fuggi Jr., announced late Monday that she will reveal her identity Friday.

The woman's lawsuit details the rape and torture allegations, which she alleges went on for 46 minutes despite her repeatedly telling Syers no and begging him to stop. The lawsuit alleges Syers invited her to his home in Lacey Township on the pretext of showing her the house he had just purchased, and during the visit, Syers pinned her face down on the bed in his bedroom, handcuffed her and tied a rope around her arms and neck before raping her and pouring a substance on her that burned her back. The lawsuit also alleges Syers beat her, leaving bruises from his hand on her rear end. The suit alleges he also choked her with a belt until she became unconscious.

Syers's attorney, Richard P. Lomurro, told NJ.com that Syers has text messages, Snapchat photos and other evidence from the woman that "discredited her accusations" and that Syers had taken and passed a polygraph about the encounter. A message left Tuesday for Lomurro seeking additional comment has not yet been returned.

The lawsuit says the woman and Syers had a brief romantic encounter in April 2018 and though they had communicated on and off during the months after that, she had declined to pursue anything more, including breaking plans they had for a date. The lawsuit alleges Syers was angry because she then ignored his attempts to contact her.

The woman went to Community Medical Center for treatment on Sept. 27, and spoke with the Ocean County prosecutor's office that day and with Lacey Township police within a few days. The lawsuit says the investigation included a conversation between the woman and Syers that was recorded by the prosecutor's office.

Syers was charged with simple assault and lewdness by Lacey police, and a permanent restraining order barring Syers from contacting the woman was issued Feb. 21.

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