Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office

                                 25 Kirkpatrick Street, 3rd Floor, New Brunswick, New Jersey, 08901 (732) 745-3300

 

                                *News Release*         Date: December 20, 2010
 
 

 

 

 


Math teacher charged with child endangerment

 

 

          Middlesex County Prosecutor Bruce J. Kaplan and Spotswood Police Chief Karl G. Martin announced today that a Spotswood High School math teacher has been arrested and charged with sending inappropriate text messages to a 17-year-old female student.

 

          Thomas Ivan (DOB 4/26/52) of 25 Westlake Court in the Somerset section of Franklin Township, was arrested and charged on December 17, 2010 with one fourth degree count of endangering the welfare of a child.

 

After the charge was filed, Ivan was released on his own recognizance. He must not have any contact with the victim and is not permitted to return to the school.

 

Ivan was charged after an investigation by Detective Les Genovese of the Spotswood Police Department and Investigator Andreea (cq) Capraru of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office determined that the defendant exchanged sexually explicit text messages with the student between December 14, 2010 and December 17, 2010.

 

Police began the investigation when friends of the victim notified school authorities.

 

Ivan has been teaching at Spotswood High School since January 2003.

 

Anyone with information on this, or similar incidents, is asked to call Detective Genovese of the Spotswood Police Department at (732) 251-2121, or Investigator Capraru at (732) 745-3600.

 

As is the case with all criminal defendants, the charge against Ivan is merely an accusation and he is presumed innocent until proven guilty.