A New Jersey elementary school janitor who previously made headlines for allegedly contaminating food and cafeteria utensils with bodily fluids and bleach is now facing child pornography charges, prosecutors say.
Giovanni Impellizzeri, 25, had already been in custody since October 31 after state police received tips about his disturbing social media activity. He had posted “extremely disturbing videos of himself while at work” at the Elizabeth Moore School, Cumberland County Prosecutor Jennifer Webb-McRae said in a press release.
Investigators found posts Impellizzeri made on a Telegram group thread, which appeared to show him “performing sexual acts with inanimate objects at the school,” officials said, noting that the janitor seemed to be “doing things that would endanger the well-being of the students at the school.”
The material included Impellizzeri allegedly urinating, masturbating, and spitting on food and utensils used by children, Fox News reported. In the affidavit obtained by the outlet, it was said that Impellizzeri allegedly wiped his private parts and anus with bread, spit on bread before putting the food back in the container, and sprayed bleach into a container of cucumbers.
The Upper Deerfield School District employee, who was placed on leave after this arrest, was also accused of spraying bleach into a container of food that was later served to kids “with the intention of harming the students” by investigators.
That incident alone was widely publicized by major news outlets, but the story became even more disturbing Thursday when the prosecutor’s office announced that Impellizzeri was also allegedly in possession of child pornography before his initial arrest.
“Investigators can say with a reasonable degree of certainty that the child pornography that the defendant allegedly possessed and/or distributed was not manufactured/made by the defendant,” Webb-McRae’s office said in an updated statement.
“Rather, it is simply alleged that the defendant was in possession of it and distributed it to others.”
Investigators added that they are testing “specimens from the defendant” to determine if there is a risk of infectious disease transmission to children who came into contact with the contaminated items.
While the county health department said that the alleged crimes are “not likely” to pose a health risk, school parent Cristencia Jenkins told NJ.com that some kids have been unwell
Impellizzeri has now been charged with the distribution of child pornography, possession of child pornography, aggravated assault, and tampering with food.