New Jersey

High School Coach Fired After Accusations of Sexual Contact

The Bergen County prosecutor's office says Teaneck High boys varsity basketball coach Marcelle Williams faces criminal sexual contact and child endangerment charges

What to Know

  • A New Jersey basketball coach was fired after he was arrested for allegedly engaging in sexual acts with two teens
  • Marcelle Williams has been charged with two counts of endangering the welfare of a child and four counts of criminal sexual contact
  • A spokesperson for the Teaneck Superintendent's Office said Williams was immediately suspended' and later fired

A New Jersey high school coach has been fired and faces charges following accusations of sexual contact with two teenagers.

The Bergen County prosecutor's office says Teaneck High boys varsity basketball coach Marcelle Williams faces criminal sexual contact and child endangerment charges.

Prosecutors said Teaneck police received allegations Williams engaged in sexual acts with two teens between the ages of 16 and 18 on numerous occasions since November.

Prosecutors said Williams was fired from positions as coach and as a paraprofessional teacher's aide.

Thirty-seven-year-old Williams, a Teaneck graduate on championship teams in the 1990s, had just completed his first coaching season. The team went 21-7, reaching the sectional finals.

It's unclear whether Williams has an attorney; a message left at a number listed for him wasn't immediately returned Tuesday.

A spokesperson for the Teaneck Superintendent's Office on Tuesday said Williams was "immediately suspended" after police received the report, and was fired after he was arrested on Monday. 

"Our primary concern is the health and welfare of our students. We took these allegations very seriously and followed all proper protocols," the statement said in part.

Williams wasn't a full-time employee and had worked in the district for less than a year, the spokesperson noted. 

"Our primary concern is the health and welfare of our students," the spokesperson said.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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