A teacher at a Saint Thomas Aquinas High School in Edison was arrested Tuesday and charged with manufacturing and possessing child sexual abuse material, officials with the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office said.
Axel Palomares, 50, of Morristown was charged with second-degree counts of manufacturing 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.
“The administration of St. Thomas Aquinas High School cooperated with local, county, and state law enforcement in an investigation which, this morning, led authorities to search the school,” a statement from the Diocese of Metuchen said.
School administrators cooperated with authorities during the investigation, the statement said.
The diocese acknowledged in their statement that some of the alleged crimes took place at the high school.
“Law enforcement officials have informed us that the places where these alleged crimes took place included, sadly, St. Thomas Aquinas High School,” according to the statement.
Criminal background checks were completed while Palomares underwent the hiring process at Saint Thomas Aquinas and no red flags were raised in his employment background, the diocese statement said.
Palomares has been suspended indefinitely, according to the diocese.
Palomares was arrested Tuesday after a search of his home, officials said.
Authorities began investigating Palomares after receiving a tip, officials said. No additional details about what was found or the investigation were released Tuesday.
“We are devastated to learn that some of our students’ privacy may have been violated by this sickening conduct,” the diocese said in the statement. “The safety of our students is always a top priority of St. Thomas Aquinas high school and the Diocese of Metuchen.”
Palomares is being held at the Middlesex County jail pending a detention hearing, authorities said.
Officials from Saint Thomas Aquinas High School did not immediately return a request for comment.
No attorney for Palomares was not listed in court records Tuesday.
Stories by Matthew Enuco
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Matthew Enuco may be reached at Menuco@njadvancemedia.com.
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