Morris Co. Coach Groomed, Sexually Abused Player, Lawsuit Says

ROCKAWAY, NJ — A former Morris County coach’s parents and the people who employed him should have recognized that the man was grooming and sexually assaulting a teenage player and stopped it, the victim claimed in a lawsuit.

Officials arrested and charged 27-year-old Joseph DeRose Jr. last May in connection with the sexual assault of a teenager, and he later pleaded guilty to two charges and was sentenced to six months in prison.

DeRose Jr., who worked as a substitute teacher at Catherine A. Dwyer Elementary School in Rockaway Township, is alleged to have sexually assaulted a 16-year-old from May 2021 through January 2022.

The victim was one of DeRose Jr.'s baseball players for various recreational and school-related teams during the specified time period, police said. The alleged assaults occurred at Derose Jr.'s home, the victim's home, Oak Meadows Field, and Fitness Factory Gym. When the victim was 17, officials said, the assault ended.

In the lawsuit, the victim alleges that DeRose had been grooming him and acting inappropriately for longer than that.

The victim, identified only as John Doe, has sued Derose and his parents as well as Rockaway Township, the Morris Hills Regional District Board of Education, Rockaway Township Babe Ruth Baseball, and Fitness Factory Health Club in Rockaway.

According to the lawsuit, the teen participated in the Babe Ruth Baseball program from 2020 to 2022, when he was between 14 and 17 years old. The plaintiff said DeRose Jr. began playing catch with him daily after he took a serious interest in baseball, and asked the plaintiff to meet at the secluded Oak Meadows field. The lawsuit says DeRose gave the boy special attention and encouraged him to participate in practices, clinics, and/or games that he would be present at.

DeRose also reportedly began spending time with the teen outside of practice sessions and bought him gifts, as well as texting him more often and sending Snapchat messages. The lawsuit states that DeRose asked the teen about his sexual experiences, and shared details from his own experiences.

DeRose also volunteered at the Morris Hills baseball clinic in March 2021, and “wanted full control of Plaintiff at the clinic and the way he was taught at the clinic.”

According to the lawsuit, DeRose sexually assaulted the teen in May 2021 for the first time, in his car at Fitness Factory Health Club Rockaway. The lawsuit further alleges that sexual assaults took place throughout the summer, in the locations mentioned above as well as at his parents’ house in Rockaway.

The boy began distancing himself from DeRose in fall 2021, and the plaintiff’s mother confronted DeRose in front of his own parents “because she had concerns (he) was a pedophile and was abusing her son,” the lawsuit states. The teen’s mother also forbade Derose from contacting him, but Derose continued to text him, the lawsuit states.

The abuse stopped in January of 2022, according to the lawsuit.

DeRose Jr. also became a coach at Morris Hills School District in March of 2022, where the teen played baseball, according to the lawsuit. This made the victim extremely uncomfortable and he considered quitting baseball, the lawsuit states. The teen informed his parents about DeRose’s abuse and a police investigation found numerous photos and videos of the sexual assaults, officials said.

The lawsuit claims that Rockaway Township, the baseball program, and the Morris Hills Board of Education “knew or should have known” that DeRose Jr. was acting inappropriately by treating the victim differently and having practices with him at secluded fields. The lawsuit says they failed to protect the victim, and failed to implement policies and procedures that would prevent and identify sexual assault in the program.

The victim is suing DeRose Jr. for intentional infliction of emotional distress, and suing his parents for negligence as well.

The plaintiff is demanding a jury trial and seeking punitive damages, as well as damages for the cost of the suit and attorney’s fees.

Related article: Teacher, Coach Charged With Sexual Assault In Morris County