Former North Jersey teacher pleads guilty to taking lewd photos of students
A former teacher at Pope John XXIII Regional High School pleaded guilty last week to illegally recording students while employed in the district before his 2022 arrest, authorities said.
Michael Wagner, 41, entered his plea Friday before Judge Michael Gaus, the Sussex County Prosecutor's Office stated. He was charged with first-degree child endangerment and second-degree manufacturing of child sexual abuse.
The prosecutor's office and Sparta police began an investigation on Oct. 12, 2022, after another teacher at Pope John overheard several eighth grade girls talking about Wagner recording them during class.
Police found hundreds of photos and videos of students taken by Wagner, who "would position the electronic device in such a way as to capture and record the underclothing of female students," the release stated. His other personal devices were confiscated and also found to contain images of child exploitation or abuse.
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Wagner taught eighth grade physics and science at the time of his arrest, according to a prior New Jersey Herald article. He had previously worked at the neighboring Rev. George A. Brown Elementary School, part of the Catholic Academy of Sussex County along with Pope John, before he was hired at the high school a year before his arrest.
Wagner will forfeit his New Jersey teaching license as a result of the plea, the prosecutor's office said. He is scheduled to be sentenced on July 26.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Sparta NJ private school teacher pleads guilty to charges
