Prison For Onetime Middletown North Coach Accused Of Molesting Teens

MIDDLETOWN, NJ — A youth wrestling coach who worked at dozens of schools and wrestling programs throughout Central New Jersey — including a brief stint as an assistant football coach at Middletown North — was sentenced Thursday to seven years in prison, after Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone accused him of molesting teenage boys he coached.

The coach is John Denuto, 46, a Spotswood resident.

In April 2023, he pleaded guilty to two counts of child endangerment and one count of invasion of privacy.

In 2021, Denuto was indicted on more serious charges: Six counts of aggravated criminal sexual contact, eight counts of privacy invasion, witness tampering (meaning he was accused of trying to get his teen victims to not cooperate with law enforcement) and hindering his own arrest.

In a plea deal, he pleaded guilty to the lesser crime of child endangerment against two minor victims.

Denuto was first arrested in 2020 by Sayreville Police; at the time he was working as a special-education teacher at Sayreville Middle School. The prosecutor said he had sexual contact with a 16-year-old boy in Sayreville, and filmed and photographed the encounters. MyCentralJersey.com has photos of Denuto in court Thursday, Aug. 8, the day of his sentencing.

At one point, he worked as an assistant football coach for Middletown High School North, MyCentralJersey also reported; they did not say which years.

Ciccone said Denuto used his position as a coach to groom his underage victims, often giving teens private wrestling coaching lessons in his own home in Spotswood.

The Middlesex County Prosecutor published this list of all the schools, organizations and clubs Denuto worked at during his career in youth sports in Central Jersey:

• Rhino's Wrestling Club - Morganville
• CJA Wrestling Club - East Brunswick
• Pennsville High School - Pennsville
• Raritan High School - Hazlet Township
• Saint John Vianney - Holmdel
• Sayreville Middle School - Sayreville
• Sayreville High School - Sayreville
• Middletown North High School - Middletown Township
• Monroe High School - Monroe
• Peddie High School - Hightstown
• South Brunswick High School - South Brunswick
• Saint Joseph High School - Montvale
• Union County College - Cranford
• Camden Catholic High School - Cherry Hill
• Johnson High School - Clark
• St. Thomas Aquinas High School (formerly Bishop Ahr HS) - Edison
• Woodbridge High School - Woodbridge
• 7th & 8th Woodbridge Recreation Program - Woodbridge
• 7th & 8th Grade Old Bridge Recreation Program - Old Bridge
• Piscataway High School - Piscataway
• Spotswood High School - Spotswood
• Freehold Boro High School - Freehold Borough

When he is released from prison, he must register as a sex offender under Megan's Law.

Patch's first report when Denuto was indicted: Youth Wrestling Coach Charged With Child Sex Crimes (April 2021)