N.J. school custodian accused of urinating and spitting on utensils and food served to students

An elementary school custodian in Cumberland County has been charged with contaminating cooking utensils and food served in the school cafeteria with bleach and his bodily fluids, including urine and feces, authorities say.

The alleged incidents occurred at the Elizabeth F. Moore School in Upper Deerfield Township, where Giovanni Impellizzeri, 25, of Vineland, had been employed since September 2019. The school enrolls about 240 students in grades 3 to 5.

According to investigators, Impellizzeri sprayed bleach on food, spit and rubbed his genitals on cooking utensils and wiped slices of bread on his body and returned them to a container. It is believed that a container of cucumbers contaminated with bleach and other tainted food were likely served to students and staff at the school, authorities said.

Impellizzeri was arrested Tuesday and charged with aggravated assault, tampering with food, endangering the welfare of a child, and official misconduct, according to county Prosecutor Jennifer Webb-McRae. He was ordered held in the county jail.

Upper Deerfield Township School Superintendent Peter Koza did not respond to a message Friday.

Read the complaints here.

Authorities began investigating this week after receiving anonymous tips alerting them to social media posts showing what appears to be Impellizzeri “in a school setting performing sexual acts with inanimate objects at the school,” according to the prosecutor’s statement.

Items matching or resembling those seen in the video were recovered by New Jersey State police detectives, Webb-McRae said. Authorities are trying to determine how recently the alleged acts occurred, she said.

Webb-McRae said investigators are collecting bodily fluid samples from Impellizzeri to determine if any diseases could have been transmitted to those who consumed contaminated food products. The county health department has recommended that anyone experiencing illness symptoms should contact their health provider.

The district has cooperated with investigators and is working with the health department to ensure that surfaces and serving utensils have been properly sanitized, and any contaminated food is discarded, the prosecutor said.

According to NBC10, state troopers were outside the school Friday, notifying parents about the charges. The K-8 district operates two other schools.

“I covered my mouth and started crying,” Bianca Pierce, one of the parents, told NBC10. “I had no words. I mean, what can you say to a situation where somebody was doing those disgusting things in the school where your child’s supposed to be safe? I felt like I was stabbed in the heart.”