N.J. Priest Sex Abuse Hotline Has Generated ‘hundreds of Leads,’ AG Says. the Phones Were ‘ringing off the Hook.’

By Ted Sherman
The Star-Ledger
May 7, 2019

https://www.nj.com/politics/2019/05/nj-priest-sex-abuse-hotline-has-generated-hundreds-of-leads-ag-says-the-phones-were-ringing-off-the-hook.html

N.J. Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal said a state hotline to report sexual abuse by clergy has generated many investigative leads

A special hotline to report sexual abuse by clergy has generated hundreds of possible leads for criminal investigators, according to New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal, who said the state’s five Catholic dioceses have been cooperating with his office.

At the same time, he said that in some of those cases where the statute of limitations may have run out, his office intends to continue to pursue those who may have facilitated criminal conduct — such as church officials who allegedly did nothing when they learned of sexual abuse.

Grewal made his comments during an editorial board meeting with The Star-Ledger.

New Jersey officials in September set up a special task force to investigate allegations of sexual abuse by members of the clergy within the Catholic dioceses of New Jersey, in the wake of a report by a Pennsylvania grand jury which graphically detailed the abuse by priests who preyed upon children for decades.

“We’re going to be publishing a report similar to the Pennsylvania report,” Grewal said. “The people of this state have a right to know.”

While the attorney general said the calls received so far have generated a number of leads they have been pursuing, he would not disclose whether there are any active criminal cases. So far, only one priest has been charged as a result of a call to the task force.

In January, Rev. Thomas P. Ganley was arrested on sexual assault charges just two days after the victim in the nearly 30-year-old case made a call to the state’s clergy abuse hotline. Ganley, a parochial vicar at St. Philip and St. James Catholic Church in Phillipsburg, later pleaded guilty to the charges.

The state hotline — (855) 363-6548 — has gotten calls regarding other religions, not just Catholics. According to Grewal, the vast majority of the calls have been clergy related.

On Monday, meanwhile, more than 300 New Jersey priests, nuns, monks and other clergy accused of sexual misconduct, including many not included in the Catholic Church’s official list, were named by lawyers representing an alleged victim suing the state’s dioceses.

Those names were part of a report by a Minnesota-based law firm created in connection with a lawsuit filed by Edward Hanratty, an alleged sexual abuse victim from New Jersey. That lawsuit claims New Jersey’s five Catholic dioceses created a “public hazard” by not naming all clergy members accused of sexually abusing children.

The 311 names in the report come from lawsuits, legal settlements, news reports and other public accounts of alleged abuse, the attorneys said.

While the Archdiocese of Newark and the state’s four other dioceses — Camden, Metuchen, Trenton and Paterson — released the names of 188 priests and deacons “credibly accused” of sexual abuse of children in February, victims’ rights groups charged that the list left off numerous names. Those left off included priests, nuns and monks accused of abuse while working in Catholic schools and other institutions run by religious orders not under the authority of the Catholic bishops in New Jersey, the groups contend.

In a statement, the Archdiocese of Newark said it continues to report abuse allegations to law enforcement officials and the church encourages victims to come forward.

“The Archdiocese of Newark is committed to the ongoing support and healing of victims and the acknowledgement of those accused of the sexual abuse of minors. We continue to focus on transparency and accountability and to reinforcing established reporting and prevention policies and programs to protect minors and support victims in our parishes, schools and ministries,” the archdiocese said in a statement.

Grewal said the state’s task force has been overwhelmed by calls to the abuse hotline.

“The phones were literally ringing off the hooks,” he said.

Leads generated by the task force, he said, are handed off to law enforcement agencies to run them out. In the case of Ganley, the attorney general noted, the matter was handled by the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office.

In April, Ganley admitted that he abused a teenage girl in the 1990s, during a time when he had supervisory authority over her while he was a priest at Saint Cecelia Church in Woodbridge. He had been the head of the youth ministry for the parish at the time, according to the attorney general’s office.

Ted Sherman may be reached at tsherman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TedShermanSL. Facebook: @TedSherman.reporter. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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