NJ private school teacher who admits molesting students won’t go to prison

TRENTON — A 40-year-old private school teacher has admitted molesting two children in a plea deal that will spare him from serving time in prison.

Menachem A. Chinn, of East Windsor, pleaded guilty Friday to two counts of endangering the welfare of a child.

The plea comes months after he was first arrested in April after a former student accused him of molesting him in his home in 2012.

After that accusation hit the news, a second victim came forward and said Chinn had molested him numerous times in 2010 and 2011.

Both victims were underage at the time of the crimes, but are now adults.

On Friday, the Mercer County Prosecutor's Office said Chinn had admitted to touching the genitals of one of the students at his East Windsor home and having another student touch Chinn's genitals at Shalom Torah Academy in Marlboro.

As part of the plea, Chinn faces a five-year suspended prison sentence when he appears before a judge in Trenton on Oct. 13. But prosecutors say he also will be subjected to parole supervision for life, will have to register as a sex offender under Megan's Law, will be barred from working as a teacher, will not be allowed unsupervised contact with minors, and will be required to undergo a psychological evaluation to determine whether he needs treatment.

Plea deals are often reached in sexual abuse cases in order to spare victims from public trials.

In addition to working as a 6th and 7th grade math teacher and youth religious group leader at Shalom Torah Academy, Chinn was the Twin Rivers chapter director for NCSY, a Teaneck-organization that supports Jewish teenagers.

NCSY placed Chinn on leave after his April arrest, pending the outcome of the charges. Shalom Torah Academy did not return New Jersey 101.5's requests for comment in April and May, but the school removed his name from their website.

Sergio Bichao is deputy digital editor at New Jersey 101.5.