New Jersey special education teacher charged with sexual assault of student: prosecutor

A New Jersey special education teacher has been charged with molesting one of her students, authorities said.

Allison Havemann-Niedrach, a 43-year-old special education teacher at Freehold Intermediate School, was charged with one count each of first-degree sexual assault and second-degree endangering a child, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond Santiago said Saturday.

The Jackson resident was arrested earlier this week after an investigation by the MCPO Victims Office and the Freehold Police Department found that Havemann-Niedrach allegedly began sexually harassing her student earlier this year, Santiago said.

The prosecutor’s office did not say how many times Havemann-Niedrach abused her student or how the authorities learned about the abuse. The student’s age is also unknown, but grades six through eight attend Freehold Middle School.

Havemann-Niedrach has been with the Freehold Borough School District since 2022, according to her LinkedIn page, where she describes herself as a “passionate, results-driven, and honest teacher.”

According to the Asbury Park Press, Asia Michael, superintendent of the Freehold Borough School District, wrote an email to staff and parents Friday evening announcing that a “former staff member” had been arrested.

“It is with a heavy heart that I must share some sad news with you,” the email began.

“We have been informed that a former employee has been arrested on charges of third-degree sexual assault and sexual misconduct with a minor,” the statement continued.

Havemann-Niedrach is currently being held in the Monmouth County Jail, awaiting her initial appearance and a hearing to determine whether she will continue to be held in custody pending trial, according to authorities.

Her lawyer, Thomas Huth, told APP that Havemann-Niedrach “maintains her innocence for now”.