Official, upset with NJ schools: ‘I don’t care how many dead bodies I leave in my path’
A Monroe Township (Gloucester County) official has been barred from school grounds after, school officials say, he made "disturbing" threats, NJ Advance Media reports.
Update: In April, 2018, the Gloucester County Prosecutor's office confirmed to New Jersey 101.5 no charge has been filed against Frank Caligiuri in that county's state Superior Court. The prosecutor's office did not offer further comment.
According to the report, council president Frank Caligiuri told school officials in an Oct. 20 email he would "get to the bottom" of a teacher's dismissal, and "I honestly don't care how many dead bodies I leave in my path."
NJAM cites Caligiuri saying he had been in a months-long exchange with school officials about the dismissal, and officials had offered to reinstate her in exchange for political favors. The report doesn't say if Caligiuri specified which officials made the alleged offer. But it said Superintendent Chuck Earling denied the claim.
It also quotes Caligiuri saying his "dead bodies" remark was hyperbole, and that he'd told school officials as much in an email a few days later. But Earling and other officials reportedly found the message "disturbing." The report says Earling said he notified police, but police had no record of a formal complaint.
Although NJ Advance Media reported Caligiuri said he was asking about the teacher's dismissal, a person who said she is the teacher contacted New Jersey 101.5 and said she was not in fact dismissed. She said her contract was not renewed. She declined further comment until she could speak to an attorney.
Calls by New Jersey 101.5 to Caligiuri and Earling Friday have not yet been returned.
Caligiuri's biography on the township's website says he "is characterized as an ethical, reserved, youthful and empathetic individual with a professional demeanor, a tenacious work ethic, and a charming sense of humor."