3 Former Elementary Students Sue Long Branch Teacher For Molestation

LONG BRANCH, NJ — Three of the four elementary-aged girls who were molested by their Long Branch schoolteacher have now sued the teacher, the elementary school where this happened and the Long Branch Board of Education.

The girls, all teenagers now, also sued the city of Long Branch. The three lawsuits were filed Tuesday in Monmouth County Superior Court. All the girls are represented by the same attorney, Zlata Rudikh of Rudikh & Associates in Old Bridge.

The teacher is Gustavo Barrientos, 53, who lives on Palomino Place in Tinton Falls.

As Patch reported at the time, Barrientos was first arrested in 2021 and then indicted in 2022 on one count of first-degree aggravated sex assault, three counts of second-degree sex assault and four counts of child endangerment.

The students were all 9 years old when they say Barrientos molested them while he was their fourth- and fifth-grade teacher at George L. Catrambone Elementary in Long Branch. The girls say Barrientos touched them inappropriately in the classroom, or on field trips, and one of the girls said Barrientos showed her pornography in the classroom.

The case went to trial in March of this year, and a jury found Barrientos guilty of two of the child endangerment charges; he pleaded guilty to the other six charges. In August, he was sentenced to a total of 17 years in prison.

The teenage girls say this happened over a two-year period, from 2017 to 2019. Barrientos was convicted of molesting four girls, all ages 10 or 9, but only three sued him and the school district.

In one of the lawsuits, a girl said Barrientos started out by rubbing her shoulders. He then moved on to hugging or kissing her. Another girl said Barrientos touched her backside, and also kissed and hugged her.

Barrientos was first arrested on Feb. 14, 2021 after police said he showed one of the girls pornography in the classroom. That 10-year-old girl was the first to report the sex abuse to police and then, as the Monmouth County Prosecutor investigated, three more child victims were found, said police at the time.

The teen girls all allege that the Long Branch school district failed to keep them safe from Barrientos, and that they are entitled to financial damages for the sex crimes inflicted upon them. The teen girls say they are victims of carelessness and negligence from George Catrambone Elementary administration and the Long Branch Board of Education.

They say administrators at the school should have supervised Barrientos better.

At one point, Barrientos also worked at Red Bank Charter School, however police have not accused him of any crimes there.

Initial Patch reports on Gustavo Barrientos: Long Branch Elementary Teacher Accused Of Molesting More Children (2021)

Tinton Falls Man Indicted On Child Molestation Charges (2022)