Crime & Safety
Ex-Woodbridge Wrestling Coach Accused Of Sex Crimes Pleads Guilty
His guilty plea comes after the Middlesex County Prosecutor said he had sexual contact with a 16-year-old boy:
WOODBRIDGE, NJ — A youth wrestling coach who worked at dozens of schools and wrestling programs throughout Central New Jersey — including Woodbridge High School — pleaded guilty April 14 to child endangerment.
His guilty plea comes after Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone said he had sexual contact with a 16-year-old boy. He also filmed and photographed their encounters, said police.
The coach is John Denuto, 46. He also coached wrestling in Woodbridge's seventh and eighth-grade town rec programs.
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Ciccone said Denuto used his position as a wrestling coach to meet and groom his underage victims. MyCentralJersey.com has photos of Denuto in court Friday.
Denuto was first arrested on February 15, 2020, after an investigation by Sayreville Police determined he had criminal sexual contact with the boy, 16.
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Sayreville Police say they found photos and video of the encounter, plus more sexually exploitive videos of others.
In April of 2021, Denuto was indicted on a broad range of charges: Six counts of aggravated criminal sexual contact, multiple counts of child endangerment, eight counts of privacy invasion, two counts of witness tampering (meaning he was accused of trying to get the victim not to cooperate with law enforcement) and hindering his own arrest.
On April 14 Denuto pleaded guilty to lesser crimes: Two counts of child endangerment and one count of invasion of privacy. The most serious charges of aggravated criminal sexual contact appear to have been dropped by the county prosecutor under the plea deal.
He will be sentenced in September. Prosecutors are seeking seven years in prison, and will ask that he register as a sex offender under Megan's Law.
Denuto is a Spotswood resident. At the time of his arrest, he was working as a special-education teacher at Sayreville Middle School.
In announcing Denuto's guilty plea, the Middlesex County Prosecutor also published this list of the schools, organizations and clubs Denuto worked at:
- Rhino's Wrestling Club - Morganville
- CJA Wrestling Club - East Brunswick
- Pennsville High School - Pennsville
- Raritan High School - Hazlet Township
- Saint John Vianney - Holmdel
- Sayreville Middle School - Sayreville
- Sayreville High School - Sayreville
- Middletown North High School - Middletown Township
- Monroe High School - Monroe
- Peddie High School - Hightstown
- South Brunswick High School - South Brunswick
- Saint Joseph High School - Montvale
- Union County College - Cranford
- Camden Catholic High School - Cherry Hill
- Johnson High School - Clark
- St. Thomas Aquinas High School (formerly Bishop Ahr HS) - Edison
- Woodbridge High School - Woodbridge
- 7th & 8th Woodbridge Recreation Program - Woodbridge
- 7th & 8th Grade Old Bridge Recreation Program - Old Bridge
- Piscataway High School - Piscataway
- Spotswood High School - Spotswood
- Freehold Boro High School - Freehold Borough
Patch's first report when Denuto was indicted: Youth Wrestling Coach Charged With Child Sex Crimes (April 2021)
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