Man Captured on Video Groping Teen Girl on New Jersey Street Is Newly Ordained Priest: Police

NEW JERSEY
NBC New York

[with video]

By Ida Siegal

Authorities say a newly ordained Roman Catholic priest in New Jersey has been charged with groping a teen girl under her skirt after surveillance video captured him allegedly following a group of girls and grabbing one of them.

Surveillance video obtained by News 4 shows a group of four girls walking down Main Street in Boonton, and then a man with a backpack comes from behind. He grabs the buttocks of one of the girls, then takes off down the street.

The 37-year-old man allegedly told the teenage girl she was “sexy,” according to the Morris County prosecutor’s office.

The girl told reported the incident to police, and the man with the backpack — who turned out to be the Rev. Marcin Nurek — was arrested on Essex Avenue about 20 minutes later, police say.

He’s charged with endangering the welfare of a child and criminal sexual contact.

Nick Fernicola, who works across the street, said he saw the aftermath.

“Thursday afternoon I came out from my office and looked out the window and saw four young girls with the police, they looked all very upset,” he said.

The Diocese of Paterson put Nurek on administrative leave. He remains in jail pending a detention hearing on Wednesday. It wasn’t immediately known if he had an attorney to comment on his behalf.

Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.