A married teacher has been arrested for an alleged sexual relationship with a student after they were caught in “states of undress” in a nature reserve.
Jessica Sawicki, 37, of Point Pleasant, New Jersey, taught English at Hamilton High School West in Trenton, which is about a 20-minute drive from the reservation.
She is accused of sexually assaulting the student, who has been described as “at least 16 years old but not yet 18,” at the Assunpink Wildlife Management Area in Upper Freehold.
Monmouth County prosecutors said in a statement: “On several occasions, Sawicki allegedly engaged in sexual acts with the victim at the Assunpink Wildlife Management Area.”
According to a probable cause affidavit, acquired by The MailSawicki allegedly confessed to authorities that she and the teen had met at least five times to have ‘unprotected sexual relations’ since December.
Jessica Sawicki (pictured), 37, an English teacher at a New Jersey high school, has been accused of having a sexual relationship with a student.
Sawicki and the student allegedly had several dates at the Assunpink Wildlife Management Area, a nature reserve.
Hamilton High School West, where Sawicki taught English, placed the teacher on administrative leave after learning of the investigation.
The document further states that the 37-year-old married teacher and the student had sex in the back of the teen’s car.
On Sunday, New Jersey Fish and Wildlife agents found Sawicki and the student in “states of undress.”
In a since-deleted school profile, Sawicki praised her teaching position at Hamilton High School West.
She wrote: “This is my seventh year working at Hamilton West teaching English… I really enjoy getting to know the students here and helping them become the best version of themselves as they strive for their future.”
After the school learned of the investigation involving Sawicki, she was placed on administrative leave.
In a statement posted on the school’s website, Principal Brian Smith and Superintendent Scott Rocco said: “Our school district was informed of a police investigation involving a teacher who works at Hamilton High West. As As a result of the information collected, the school district took immediate steps to place the individual on administrative leave.
Sawicki (pictured) and the teenage student are alleged to have had sex in the teenager’s car.
Brian Smith and Scott Rocco, respectively principal and superintendent of Hamilton High School West, issued a statement saying the school “took immediate action” after learning of the investigation. The statement noted that there was “no indication” that any of the alleged incidents occurred on school property.
The statement noted that there was “no indication that any of the alleged actions took place on school property.”
Smith and Rocco assured community members that “our district fully cooperated with the prosecutor’s office during their investigation and will continue to do so as necessary.”
They condemned the alleged incident, saying it “goes against our professional standards as a school district and is far removed from the expectations we have for an employee’s personal conduct.”
The statement continued: “We do not tolerate any action that harms or could potentially harm our students.”
Seeking to distinguish the school from Sawicki’s alleged distasteful behavior, Smith and Rocco said: “The actions of one staff member do not represent the hard work and dedication of our entire community.”
After being arrested “without incident” on Monday, Sawicki was booked into the Monmouth County Correctional Institution, where she will remain pending a detention hearing scheduled for next week.
in a statementThe Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office told Sawicki that the investigation had been conducted by members of the MCPO Special Victims Bureau, the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office and the New Jersey State Police.
Jessica Sawicki has been charged with five counts of second-degree sexual assault and five counts of second-degree endangering the welfare of a child.