TOWNSHIP OF WASHINGTON, N.J.—A primary therapist working at a private high school in Paramus engaged in a sexual relationship with a student under the age of 18, the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office charged Jan. 14.
Tara Cardinale, 39, of Township of Washington, is charged with endangering the welfare of a child and criminal sexual contact, said Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella. Cardinale was arrested Jan. 10 in the township, he said.
Paramus police began investigating the allegations on Sunday, Dec. 29, 2019. The Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit, Paramus police and Township of Washington police investigators revealed that on more than one occasion Cardinale invited the student to her township home where they engaged in sexual activity, Musella said.
She was remanded to Bergen County Jail pending her first appearance in Central Judicial Processing Court, scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 15, said Musella.
“Prosecutor Musella states that the charges are merely accusations and that the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, and he would like to thank the Paramus Police Department and the Washington Township Police Department for their assistance in this investigation,” the BCPO said in a statement.