New victim says NJ teacher at Jewish school touched him sexually

EAST WINDSOR — A second person has claimed to have been sexually assaulted by a teacher of a Marlboro Jewish school inside his home.

Menachem Chinn, 40, was arrested in April at his East Windsor home after he was charged with the first incident, which the victim said occurred at Chinn's home in 2012.

A second male came forward after the media reports about the first allegation and claimed he had also been inappropriately touched at Chinn's home "numerous times" between July 2010 and May 2011,  according to Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo Onofri.

Chin is now charged with two counts of both endangering the welfare of a child and of sexual assault. He was being held Wednesday at the Mercer County Corrections Center.

Onofri said both males were under 18 at the time and are now adults.

Chinn, a teacher at the Shalom Torah Academy in Marlboro, had been the latest victim’s teacher and youth group religious mentor, according to Onofri.

A woman who answered the phone at Shalom Torah Academy on Wednesday said the school had no comment. The school’s website had described Chinn as a 6th and 7th grade “math enrichment facilitator” and referred to him as a rabbi. His name has since been removed from the site.

Chinn was also affiliated for 15 years with NCSY, a Teaneck-organization that helps teens “searching for answers and directions” and that brings “passionate Judaism directly to hundreds of teens every week.” His profile on the site had described him as a director of their Twin Rivers chapter.

NCSY spokeswoman Avital Chizhik said Chinn was immediately placed on leave after the first charges in April.

"The safety and well-being of NCSY participants is the organization's utmost priority at all times. NCSY has zero tolerance whatsoever for improper or illegal behavior," Chizhik wrote. "NCSY is not aware of any complaints regarding Rabbi Chinn's conduct with NCSY participants at any point during his tenure with the organization. NCSY stands ready to cooperate with investigators should it be asked."

Chizhik said NCSY has "robust policies and procedures for all its staff, including appropriate behavioral standards, criminal background checks, and an ombudsmen hotline that is checked multiple times daily, and extensive staff training. Any and all complaints are thoroughly investigated by seasoned professionals, who at all times are prepared to refer matters to the criminal justice system."

Onofri asked that anyone with information about the case should contact the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office at 609-989-6568 or East Windsor Police at (609) 448-5678.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com.

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