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Judge Cristen P. D’Arrigo said that Giovanni Impellizzeri, 25, of Vineland, remains a substantial risk to the public during a hearing on Thursday, Nov. 9.
Impellizzeri, was charged with aggravated assault, tampering with food and official misconduct for the heinous incidents at the Elizabeth Moore School in the Upper Deerfield School District, where he has worked since 2019, as previously reported by Daily Voice.
Impellizzeri claimed he did it to make children sick and said the acts sexually aroused him, prosecutors told the judge.
His public defender argued for his release, saying Impellizzeri has been treated for a mental illness and would benefit from continued treatment.
Whatever mental health services Impellizzeri was receiving was apparently inadequate, D’Arrigo said at the virtual hearing.
The judge said that Impellizzeri referred to himself as a satanist and displayed hubris in posting pornographic images on social media accounts.
"The state has substantial proof here," the judge said.
The Cumberland County Assistant Prosecutor Lindsey Seidel said Impellizzeri admitted in an internet chatroom that he mixed feces into taco meat at the school.
Video from the suspect's phone also showed him using a dish sponge from the teachers' lounge to wipe urinals and toilets. He is then seen putting the sponge back in the lounge.
Another video allegedly showed Impellizzeri rubbing hoagie rolls on his private areas before placing them back into a container.
New Jersey State Police were contacted by school authorities on Monday, Oct. 30 after receiving tips about social media posts that allegedly showed Impellizzeri performing sex acts with what are described as "inanimate objects" while working at the Elizabeth Moore School in the Upper Deerfield District, the Cumberland County Prosecutor's Office said.
The investigation previously revealed that Impellizzeri allegedly contaminated food and utensils in the school cafeteria with bodily fluids that included saliva, urine and feces, prosecutors said.
Impellizzeri has seven days to appeal the judge's ruling.
Impellizzeri's next court appearance is on Dec. 14.
Any member of the public with information related to the allegations may contact New Jersey State Police Detective Alex Angerman at 856-451-0101.
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