Passaic Co. Man Molested Autistic Students On School Bus, Cops Say

PASSAIC COUNTY, NJ — A Passaic County man has been arrested for sexually assaulting students on a school bus, prosecutors say.

Federico Nicasio Genao, 69, of Paterson, faces several charges after he had assaulted two autistic students on a school bus, on which he worked as a bus aide, in Union County, police say.

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The charges stem from an investigation launched on April 7 by the Roselle Police Department.

Police received a report that Genao was targeting two autistic students on the bus, one of whom was non-verbal, authorities said.

Genao was arrested on April 10 and is charged with two counts of second-degree endangering the welfare of a child by sexual contact and two counts of third-degree aggravated criminal sexual contact.

He is currently being held in Essex County Jail while awaiting court proceedings.

Roselle authorities called the incident "a found betrayal of trust and a direct threat to the safety of our most vulnerable residents."

This investigation remains ongoing. Anyone with further information about Genao is urged to contact Roselle Police Detective Aaron Silva at 908-380-9943.