Two NJ teachers lose their licenses after accusations of student sexual abuse
⚠️ Two ex-NJ teachers lose state teaching certifications after separate child sex assault cases.
➡️ One taught English in Carteret, while the other taught fourth grade science in Paterson.
🔴 One defendant pleaded guilty to a lesser charge and received two years of probation.
State examiners have stripped teaching certifications from two former New Jersey educators accused of child sex assaults.
The unrelated assaults of young students were investigated in two public school districts in Middlesex and Passaic Counties over the past two years.
Both male defendants initially faced the same charges — second-degree counts of sexual assault and endangering the welfare of a child.
Carteret English teacher faced sex assault charge
Jeffrey Munguia was an English teacher at Carteret Middle School at the time of a reported incident in 2022.
Munguia, a North Bergen resident, was arrested in 2024 after a student came forward to police.
He was no longer a teacher in the district at the time of his arrest, according to the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office.
Munguia was accused of rubbing the victim’s thighs repeatedly while the student was in his classroom in 2022, according to an affidavit filed by investigators.
He had then reassigned the student to a desk toward the rear of the class, where Munguia was accused of touching the victim’s groin area, while asking if the student “had gone through puberty yet” and if they had done “anything sexual.”
The victim had ultimately asked to be transferred from the class that year.
Munguia’s application for pretrial intervention was accepted in May, court records show.
Read More: NJ wrestling coach charged in 15-year-old victim's sexual assault
Paterson fourth grade teacher accused of assaulting 9-year-old girl
In December 2025, a Paterson public school teacher was accused of sexually assaulting a 9-year-old female student in a classroom.
Paul Yang, of Leonia, was a fourth grade science teacher at Paterson Public School No. 25, Paterson Press reported.
An affidavit filed by investigators described a traumatic incident at the root of Yang's case.
One child told police that Yang gave the class a surprise test, and brought two students to the back of the room, where he blindfolded them, promising them “Korean candy.”
Yang was accused of exposing his penis and rubbing it against a lollipop, which he then offered to one of the students.
One of the children was able to see this through the blindfold and described seeing the teacher take out “where men pee from,” the affidavit said.
In June, court records show that Yang took a deal, pleading guilty to a lesser fourth-degree charge and was sentenced on Aug. 21 to two years probation.
Over the summer, the State Board of Examiners reviewed both cases and revoked the ex-teachers’ respective certificates.
Following a vote on June 25, Munguia had to give up his English teaching certification.
On Aug. 7, the board officially revoked Yang’s elementary school teaching certifications.
NJ teachers recently accused of sexual crimes
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Share of your tax bill going to schools vs. municipality
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