Police arrested a YMCA worker accused of sexually assaulting a girl and recording the assault on his cell phone.
Jermaine J. Ward, 21, of Camden, New Jersey is charged with endangering the welfare of a child, sexual assault and manufacturing child pornography.
Investigators say the assault took place inside a Maple Shade, New Jersey home earlier this year though they did not reveal a specific date. Ward was taken into custody Sunday morning. Police say he knows the victim and her family.
Ward was employed by the YMCA of Burlington and Camden counties at the time of the arrest and worked in two area schools through the organization’s before-school and after-school programs.
Officials said Ward spent time working with students at Beverly City School in Beverly, New Jersey and Carson Elementary School in Pennsauken, New Jersey since being hired by the YMCA in September of 2017. He helped students with their homework and also played sports with them, according to the Burlington County Prosecutor's Office.
"He shouldn't be working with kids," Havella Bennett, a parent of students at Beverly City School, told NBC10. "What's going on with the system? That's crazy."
The president and CEO of the Philadelphia Freedom Valley YMCA wrote in a statement that while the alleged assault took place during Ward’s employment with the Y, it didn’t occur at a Y program or include any other Y members. The president also said that all YMCA staff are screened by a company that specializes in criminal reference checks. He also said they provide constant supervision and staff training to ensure they’re always on alert.
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“There is no more important responsibility we have than to protect the health and safety of the children in our care,” he wrote. “We would like to assure all parents who rely on the Ys child care programs that the quality and safety of our program are essential duties for us. We do this with a comprehensive and extensive child protection program.”
Police are investigating whether Ward had inappropriate contact or interaction with any students under his care. If you have any information on Ward, please call Burlington County Central Communications at 609-265-7113 or Camden County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit detective Jenna Bindig at 856-580-5782.
