Police sweep NJ Catholic high school after teacher’s child porn arrest

🔺NJ teacher accused of creating child porn materials
🔺Allegations involve video in class
🔺Man was teacher and coach

EDISON — A private, Catholic high school was thoroughly searched for any hidden recording devices, after a teacher was arrested on allegations of creating child sexual abuse materials..

Axel Palomares has taught Spanish at Saint Thomas Aquinas High School in Edison since the 2022-2023 school year. He was also a coach for the girls soccer team.

Following his arrest, the 50-year-old Morristown resident was suspended until further notice as the investigation continues, a spokesperson for the Diocese of Metuchen confirmed.

“We are devastated to learn that some of our students’ privacy may have been violated by this sickening conduct,” a statement from the Diocese said on Tuesday evening.

“The safety of our students is always a top priority of St. Thomas Aquinas high school and the Diocese of Metuchen. The actions of this individual, if true, are a betrayal of the trust of our students, faculty, and administration,” the statement continued.

Investigators make full sweep of Saint Thomas Aquinas High School

On Tuesday, the school was searched by officers from the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office and Edison Police Department with the help of two State Police Electronic Scent Detection K-9s.

The police dogs are trained to find any hidden electronic equipment, including hidden cameras.

A full sweep of the building — including locker rooms and bathrooms — turned up no cameras or other recording equipment.

The investigation so far has not revealed any evidence of physical abuse at Saint Thomas Aquinas, Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone said on Thursday.

Investigation into Saint Thomas Aquinas High School teacher

Video footage of a student’s underwear underneath a school uniform while leaning against a desk was among files on a recording device and two phones recovered from Palomares’ home on Tuesday, according to an affidavit of probable cause.

In December, State Police shared a cyber tip with the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office and its Internet Crimes Against Children Unit launched an investigation, tracing Kik Messenger and Telegram accounts to Palomares.

Account activity was traded to the public internet at both Bridgewater and Short Hills malls, including a March outing at the Bridgewater mall during which Palomares allegedly spent a considerable amount of time in the public restrooms.

Videos of other juvenile females in underwear taken in public settings were also among files already recovered from the defendant's devices, police said.

Criminal charges against Axel Palomares

Palomares was arrested Tuesday after a search warrant was carried out at his home, Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone said.

He was charged with second-degree counts of manufacturing of child sexual abuse material, and endangering the welfare of a child, third-degree possession of child sexual abuse material and fourth-degree invasion of privacy.

Court documents list the dates of offenses as April 22, 2022, to May 27, 2025.

Diocese of Metuchen responds to teacher's arrest

Church officials have said that Palomares had undergone the required criminal background checks and was “up to date and in compliance with all the policies and training requirements mandated by the school and the diocese.”

“School counselors stand ready to assist any student, and we will be working with the law enforcement community to ascertain if there are any better ways to safeguard our students from such nefarious and contemptible behavior,” the Diocese added in its statement.

Palomares was being held at the Middlesex County Jail pending a detention hearing.

Anyone with potential information was asked to call Detective Ken McGarry of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office at 732-745-3140.

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