Former High School Teacher Arrested for Alleged Sexual Assault on a Minor in Raritan Borough, Somerset County

A former high school teacher has been apprehended in Raritan Borough, Somerset County, on charges of sexually assaulting a minor, announced Somerset County Prosecutor John P. McDonald.

The Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Sex Crimes/Child Abuse Unit was alerted on October 16th by the Bridgewater Police Department, following an anonymous email detailing an inappropriate relationship between a teacher and a former student, stated McDonald.

Afterward, on October 26th, detectives from the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Sex Crimes/Child Abuse Unit and the Raritan Borough Police Department interviewed the former student victim, now an adult.

According to McDonald, the victim revealed that they had engaged in a relationship with their former teacher, identified as Lydia Pinto, aged 38, from Newton, PA. The victim further disclosed that the relationship had turned sexual during their teenage years, between the ages of 14 and 15, and continued until their senior year of high school.

Following the investigation, Lydia Pinto was peacefully apprehended in Franklin Township on Wednesday, November 8th. She has been charged with first-degree aggravated sexual assault and two counts of second-degree sexual assault, McDonald confirmed.

Lydia Pinto is presently being held at the Somerset County Jail, awaiting a detention hearing, according to McDonald.

Authorities are urging anyone with information related to this sexual assault case to come forward and reach out to either the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Sex Crimes/Child Abuse Unit at 908-231-7100 or the Raritan Borough Police Department at 908-725-6200. Alternatively, individuals can provide anonymous reports through the STOPit app, which allows the submission of videos and photos. The app is available for free download on both Google Play Store and Apple App Store, using the access code: SOMERSETNJ. Additionally, information can be provided via the Somerset County Crime Stoppers’ Tip Line at 1-888-577-TIPS (8477). All anonymous reports made through the STOPit app, as well as Crime Stopper tips, will be treated with utmost confidentiality.