An Atlantic City High School history teacher who allegedly had a relationship with a student was jailed Friday morning for child endangerment and criminal sexual contact.
Joseph Scalfaro, 47, of Absecon, was arrested following an investigation into allegations by a former student of an inappropriate relationship, according to the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office.
He was arrested at the school, according to parents who reached out to BreakingAC.
The victim told police that she and Scalfaro had a relationship when she was a 17-year-old student, including going to a Galloway Township hotel together in March.
Scalfaro admits to a sexual relationship with the victim in recorded conversations between them, according to the affidavit of probable cause obtained by BreakingAC. He also denied ever being in a sexual relationship with any other students.
Some of the details in the affidavit could be disturbing to some readers.
On Sept. 20, the teen told police she and Scalfaro kissed in his classroom on multiple occasions while she was a student and he was a teacher, the affidavit states.
“He told her he was so attracted to her he would leave class to go to the bathroom to masturbate,” she told the investigator, according to the affidavit.
She also said Scalfaro would pick her up at her home and they would kiss in his vehicle. Other times, she would also drive to a park in Absecon where they would meet and kiss.
Records show Scalfaro checked in to the Quality Inn in Galloway Township on March 8. The teen told police that she was there with him.
While there, “they kissed, he took her shirt off and he masturbated in front of her,” the affidavit states.
Scalfaro, who also coaches boys tennis, is in the Atlantic County Justice Facility.
He is charged with second-degree endangering the welfare of a child and fourth-degree criminal sexual contact for the March 8 incident. He has an additional charge of second-degree official misconduct dated May 1.
The investigation is ongoing.
