St. Joseph High School sued by Somerset man claiming sexual abuse by priest
METUCHEN – A former St. Joseph High School student is suing the Diocese of Metuchen claiming he was sexually abused and "groomed" for 16 years by a Catholic priest while enrolled at the private school.
The victim, from the Somerset section of Franklin Township, filed the lawsuit on July 10 in Middlesex County Superior Court and names the Dioceses of Metuchen and Trenton, St. Joseph High School, and the Brothers of the Sacred Heart as defendants. The name of the victim, who is now an adult, is being withheld by My Central Jersey because he was a minor at the time he said he was sexually abused by Rev. Frank Iazzetta.
The victim, represented by attorney Jay Silvio Mascolo of RAM Law, claims he was first sexually abused by Iazzetta when he became a freshman student at St. Joe's.
Some of the sexual abuse occurred on the grounds of St. Joe’s, including on the school campus and at Iazzetta’s residence at St. Joe’s, according to the lawsuit. Iazzetta’s sexual abuse of the victim "occurred during activities that were sponsored by, or were a direct result" of activities sponsored by the dioceses, St. Joe’s and the Brothers of the Sacred Heart.
The lawsuit claims that St. Joe's, which is operated by the Brothers of the Sacred Heart, and the Dioceses of Metuchen and Trenton "knew or should have known that Father Iazzetta was a known sexual abuser of children."
Iazzetta, who died in 2007, was named in 2019 by the Diocese of Trenton as a priest who was "credibly accused" of child sexual abuse. The diocese said Iazzetta had "multiple" victims.
"While we cannot comment on pending litigation, our prayers are with all survivors of abuse, today and always, and we stand with them in their journey toward healing and hope," Anthony P. Kearns III, spokesperson and chancellor for the Diocese of Metuchen, said in a statement. "With God’s grace, all survivors of abuse, particularly those wounded by members of the Church, will continue to heal and move forward. Our diocese renews our commitment to prevent these types of abuse from ever happening again."
Winter Appeal 2023
To our friends,
2023 has been a long year with many ups and downs for us all. As we close out the year, we at SNAP hope that you are feeling like you are on your way to being healthy, fulfilled, and happy. This past year has brought both successes and challenges. Thanks to the support you have shown in the past, we’ve been able to celebrate the good days and weather the stormy ones. Now, we are once again asking for your support as we work to support survivors new and old as we ‘Move SNAP Forward.’
At SNAP we are proud to have hosted a very well-attended conference in August 2023. This event allowed us to gather friends, survivors, advocates, and allies for a weekend of camaraderie and connection. We were so happy to be able to welcome many first-time attendees to gather in person and are already looking forward to the next conference.
To strengthen our movement for justice, healing, and prevention, SNAP will be expanding our peer support and providing more volunteer opportunities in the coming year. Through this great work, we are ensuring survivor voices are represented as we work for significant change that will benefit children and survivors.
Right now, survivors worldwide are getting the help they need from SNAP, and more and more reach out to us daily, but we need your help to keep those programs going and get our volunteers the training they need to thrive.
Your tax-deductible gift to SNAP can help offset the cost of our important mission. If you are not in a position to contribute, you can still support us by sharing this letter with those who can. As we continue to fight for survivors across the globe, your donation or sharing the great work SNAP does will help us continue our work to protect the vulnerable, heal the wounded, and prevent abuse.
Your donation ensures SNAP will be there for those who need us more than ever!
Warmly,
Michael W. McDonnell, C.P.S.
Interim Executive Director