NJ Catholic school teacher accused of secretly recording young girls

Yahoo

7 days ago

A now former New Jersey high school teacher is accused of secretly recording girls at two different malls, and at least one student at the Catholic school where he worked.
Axel Palomares, 50, was arrested on Tuesday following the execution of a search warrant at his home in Morristown, authorities announced. He's facing multiple charges including creating and possessing child sex abuse material.
Prior to his arrest, Palomares taught Spanish and coached the girls soccer team at St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Edison, according to NJ.com.
An investigation into Palomares began in December after authorities received a tip regarding a user on the Kik chat app talking about his illicit recordings and having fantasies of abusing kids.
Amid their investigation, law enforcement learned that Palomares had been seen on surveillance video 'spending a considerable amount of time' in bathrooms at the Bridgewater Commons, according to a criminal complaint. He was also seen on various occasions at the Short Hills Mall in Millburn, where he's believed to have recorded young girls in compromising positions.
He's similarly accused of filming upskirt videos of at least one female student at St. Thomas Aquinas.
A warrant obtained by ABC 7 says the alleged misconduct occurred between April 2022 to at least March of this year.
The search of Palomares' home turned up a small recording device and hundreds of images of child sex abuse, authorities said. No cameras or other other recording equipment were found when they swept the school following his arrest, reported NJ.com.
Palomares is currently being held at the Middlesex County Adult Correctional Facility while awaiting a pre-trial detention hearing on Friday.
In a statement to ABC 7, the Catholic Diocese of Metuchen said it was 'devastated to learn' that its students' privacy may have been violated by the 'sickening conduct' of which Palomares is accused.