Ex-Principal Gets 50 Years For Raping Woodbridge Woman In Her Home

WOODBRIDGE, NJ — A former high school principal who was convicted earlier this year of breaking into a woman's apartment in Woodbridge in 2014, and raping her, was sentenced this week to 50 years in state prison.

The man is Danny McEaddy, 40, of Sicklerville in Camden County.

On Wednesday, Middlesex County Superior Court Judge Pedro Jimenez sentenced McEaddy to a total of 50 years in prison, said a spokeswoman for Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone. McEaddy must serve at least 85 percent of his sentence before becoming eligible for parole.

The criminal trial against McEaddy began on April 8 of this year, and lasted only one week. A Middlesex County jury found McEaddy guilty of all charges brought by the prosecutor:

• First-degree kidnapping
• First-degree aggravated sexual assault
• Second-degree burglary
• Aggravated assault
• Criminal restraint
• Aggravated criminal sexual contact

The Woodbridge home invasion and sex assault happened ten years ago, on Sept. 21, 2014.

Shortly before 2 a.m. on that date, McEaddy rang the doorbell of a woman's apartment in the Keasbey section of Woodbridge. When she answered, he forced his way inside. McEaddy and the victim did not know each other.

He dragged the woman into her bedroom, put a blanket over her head, repeatedly punched her in the face and threatened, “Don’t tell anybody or I will kill you," NJ.com reported.

It was a neighbor who called police after hearing loud bangs, crying and screaming coming from the apartment. The neighbor said they heard banging and screaming that occurred for 10 minutes starting at around 1:57 a.m. As they were responding, Woodbridge Police received another 911 call, this time from the victim, who said she had just been raped.

McEaddy had fled.

It would not be until 2022 that the Middlesex County Prosecutor was able to link McEaddy with the crime.

In February of that year, Winslow Township Police (in Sicklerville) announced in this Facebook post (since taken down) that a man broke into a woman's home and tried to force her into her bedroom. The woman was able to call police during the encounter, but the suspect fled prior to police arrival.

Then in May of that year, the same suspect returned and was seen peering in a window of the same woman's home, but again left the area before police got there. In early August, the same suspect was observed peering in windows of "numerous" homes in that area, said police.

Finally, in August, police were able to arrest McEaddy in the South Jersey town of Pitman, after police said they caught him in the act of peering in a window.

Winslow Township Police were able to link McEaddy to the previous window peeping — and breaking into the woman's home — and charged him with burglary and three counts of peering into windows.

After he was arrested, McEaddy's DNA was added to the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), NJ 101.5 reported last year.

Eight years earlier, Woodbridge Police had taken DNA samples from biological evidence left at the Keasbey apartment (McEaddy's saliva left on the woman's clothing, 101.5 reported), and the samples were able to be preserved for nearly a decade. Once McEaddy's DNA was entered into the statewide database, it came back as a positive match for the Woodbridge sex assault, said the Middlesex Prosecutor.

On March 23, 2023, McEaddy was charged with the aggravated sexual assault, burglary and other charges in the 2014 Woodbridge crime.

At the time of his violent sex assault crime spree, McEaddy was married, had children and worked as a school principal. He worked as the principal at a Camden charter school (Freedom Prep) and also as the principal of Hillcrest Elementary School in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, according to NJ.com and NJ 101.5.

He also worked as a special-education teacher before becoming a school administrator. ABC has this video of McEaddy at work as a school principal and administrator.

Earlier this year: Ex-School Principal Guilty In 2014 Break-In, Rape Of Woodbridge Woman (April 2024)

This case was investigated by Woodbridge Police Detective Thomas Ratajczak, Woodbridge Police Sergeant Richard Yanak and Lieutenant Greg Morris and Detective Lauren Leyva of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office. Prosecutor Ciccone said Ratajczak and Leyva were "instrumental in bringing the case to trial." Prosecutors were Middlesex County SVU Section Chief Lynne Seborowski and Assistant Prosecutor Nicolette Spallanzani.