NJ educator accused of sexually abusing student in 1998, 1999

🔴 NJ educator has been accused of sexually abusing a child

🔴 Reported abuse happened in the late 1990s

🔴 Man arrested was an elementary school teacher at the time

A New Jersey assistant principal has been accused of sexually assaulting a student multiple times, more than 20 years ago when he was an elementary school teacher.

Kenneth “Kenney” Lutz, of Phillipsburg, has been charged with aggravated sexual assault and sexual assault by contact.

The 52-year-old Lutz has been accused of the abuse between 1998 and 1999, when the victim was 12 and 13, according to Warren County Prosecutor James Pfeiffer.

Pfeiffer said on Tuesday that Lutz also had driven the child to and from school, based on his “relationship with the family.”

(Google Maps)

Where accused educator worked

Lutz previously worked at Lopatcong Township Elementary School, as well as Beloved Community Charter School in Jersey City and at a school in Florida.

He became assistant principal at Merriam Avenue Elementary School in Newton in 2015.

Once his current district learned of the charges stemming from the Warren County case, Lutz was suspended immediately.

"I take the safety of the students in our district very seriously and am committed to helping our community get through this difficult time," Newton Superintendent of Schools Joseph Piccirillo said in an email to New Jersey 101.5 Tuesday night.

The school has been moving to fill the vacancy at Merriam Avenue ahead of September.

Piccirillo said none of the charges filed were related to Lutz's work in Newton.

Lutz grew up in Phillipsburg but also has lived in Nazareth, Pennsylvania, and in Daytona Beach, Florida, according to a previous report by TapInto.

According to the same report, he was married with three children and is a 1995 graduate of Centenary College.

NJ teachers and educators caught in sex crime busts

Over the past several years, state lawmakers have taken on the challenge of dealing with accused child predators among the ranks of teachers and educators.

In 2018, the so-called “pass the trash” law went into effect, requiring stricter New Jersey school background checks related to child abuse and sexual misconduct.

The follow individuals were arrested over the past several years. Some have been convicted and sentenced to prison, while others have accepted plea deals for probation.

Report a correction 👈 | 👉 Contact our newsroom

LOOK: The most expensive weather and climate disasters in recent decades

Stacker ranked the most expensive climate disasters by the billions since 1980 by the total cost of all damages, adjusted for inflation, based on 2021 data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The list starts with Hurricane Sally, which caused $7.3 billion in damages in 2020, and ends with a devastating 2005 hurricane that caused $170 billion in damage and killed at least 1,833 people. Keep reading to discover the 50 of the most expensive climate disasters in recent decades in the U.S.

Wow! Aaron Rodgers new home in New Jersey: Inside and out

Here's a look at New York Jets Aaron Rodgers' new Montclair home with 8 bedrooms and 9 baths — and sweeping views of the rest of New Jersey and the Manhattan skyline.