poststar.com
17 October 2011
JAMIE MUNKS – jmunks@poststar.com
Sexual abuse is the accusation in a lawsuit against a former director of Sabattis Adventure Camp in Long Lake, operated by Boy Scouts of America.
The lawsuit alleges that John Capparelli, a Roman Catholic priest, would have campers and camp staffers wrestle one another while wearing Speedo bathing suits.
He would photograph the wrestling matches and sometimes take part in the wrestling, and touched the chests, genitals and buttocks of plaintiff Andrew Dundorf and other minor boys, according to the lawsuit.
The complaint also alleges that Capparelli invited Dundorf to sleep with him in his living quarters. Dundorf, now 48, worked at the camp with Capparelli, who served as camp director from approximately 1983 to 1986.
The alleged sexual abuse began in New Jersey when Dundorf was 13, before he worked at the camp with Capparelli.
The lawsuit was filed in Newark, NJ., where Capparelli is a high school math teacher and a vice president of the Newark Teachers Union.
After claims of misconduct and a stay in a treatment center, Capparelli was suspended by the ministry by the Archdiocese of Newark in 1992. But he was not formally expelled from the priesthood, according to a story by The Star-Ledger of Newark, NJ.
Safety is of “paramount importance” to Boy Scouts of America, and anyone who is even suspected of abuse is banned from the organization, said Deron Smith, the organization’s public relations director, in an email Monday.
“At the time of his hiring, there was no information or evidence that would suggest that the individual in question was anything other than a respected priest in good standing in the community,” Smith wrote.
While Capparelli served as camp director at the Scout reservation, he “primarily hired physically fit, good-looking young men, many of whom were unqualified for their positions,” according to the lawsuit.
A Scout leader who was disturbed by Capparelli’s behavior discussed it with a staff member at the local Boy Scout council in New Jersey. The Scout leader wasn’t sure if the organization acted on it, but Capparelli didn’t return to the camp the following summer, according to The Star-Ledger.
The camp is still operating in the Adirondack Park. Boy Scouts of America and the Archdiocese of Newark are also listed as defendants in the lawsuit.
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Priest who teaches students accused of abuse
Eyewitness News
WABC-TV New York, NY
Monday, October 17, 2011
NEWARK, N.J. (WABC) – A priest accused of exploiting children is now teaching high schoolers.
Parents are now seeking answers from administrators about the priest.
The accuser, Andrew Dundorf, spoke with Eyewitness News Monday afternoon.
He says that as a teenager, Father John Capparelli sexually abused him.
He is concerned that Capparelli is still in contact with his children, as a 9th grade teacher.
Andrew Dundorf was 13-years-old when he says Father John Capparelli started abusing him.
According to a lawsuit filed in July, Dundorf says Father John asked him to wrestle other boys while wearing skimpy bathing suits, then photographed the matches.
Later, Dundorf says the priest groped him during sleepovers.
During his years working as a priest, Capparelli worked at Our Lady of Fatima in North Bergen, Oratory Preparatory School in Summit, Our Lady of Peace in New Providence and the Church of the Holy Trinity in Westfield.
For reasons the Newark Archdiocese will not specify, Father Capparelli left the ministry in the mid-80s and was suspended in 1992.
He went to a treatment center, returned home, and became a teacher.
For almost two decades, Capparelli has taught math to high school students in Newark, first at Shabazz High School and currently at the Barringer Ninth Grade Academy.
Parents who learned about the accusation against Capparelli can’t understand why he’s still allowed to work with children.
“Why is he in school, it’s a danger, the kids are in danger,” said Elizabeth Mojica, a parent.
“They’re not doing good enough background checks if this guy got hired again,” said Natasha Myers, a parent.
Eyewitness News tried contacting Capparelli at his Belleville home, but he wasn’t there.
Newark school officials tell Eyewitness News that in 20 years of teaching, Capparelli has a spotless record.
The only accuser to ever come forward is Dundorf, and that was just three months ago.
The president of the Newark Teacher’s Union tells Eyewitness News, “John Capparelli has been a leader in the Newark District among his peers and students. His record is exemplary. The allegation is 30 years old, it just doesn’t add up.”
Capparelli’s lawyer says that he is still employed at the school.