Montclair janitor accused of sexually assaulting teen for 2 years

MONTCLAIR — The head janitor at an elementary school is accused of sexually assaulting a teenage girl on three occasions over two years.

Stephen Yekel, 47, of the Lake Hiawatha section of Parsippany-Troy Hills, was arrested on Jan. 23 and charged with sexually assaulting the girl between October 2016 when the girl was 14 and October 2019 when she was 16. The girl was not a student at the school or district.

The assaults took place at "various locations," Essex County Prosecutor's Office spokeswoman Katherine Carter said.

Yerkel worked at the Northeast School. Interim Superintendent Nathan Park said Friday that Yerkel was no longer employed by the district.

Stephen Yekel was charged with sexually assaulting an underage teen girl. (Essex County Jail)

In a letter to parents, Park told parents the teen "has no connection to Montclair Public Schools" and that no other students or staff are involved in the investigation, according to TAP into Montclair.

Carter was charged with three counts of second-degree sexual assault and three counts of third-degree endangering the welfare of a child. He is scheduled to make his first court appearance on Monday.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNJ