Doctor Charged With Sexual Abuse Of Juvenile For A Decade In Wall

FREEHOLD, NJ – A Wall pulmonologist has been charged with sexually abusing a juvenile for more than 10 years, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago announced Monday.

Cornelius Gallagher, 62, of Wall, is charged with two counts of first-degree aggravated sexual assault and two counts of second-degree sexual assault that began nearly 20 years ago in Wall, the prosecutor's office said.

Gallagher is a licensed pulmonologist with more than 20 years of practice and affiliations with three hospitals across Monmouth County, authorities said. But the prosecutor's office said the charges announced Monday are not connected with his interactions with any patient.

An investigation by members of the Wall Township Police Department revealed that the alleged sexual abuse began nearly 20 years ago and continued for more than a decade at various locations within Wall Township.

Gallagher was arrested without incident late last week, then lodged in the Monmouth County Correctional Institution.

He is being held pending a detention hearing and first appearance scheduled to take place Wednesday, July 12, before Monmouth County Superior Court Judge Paul X. Escandon.

Anyone with information about Gallagher’s activities is urged to contact Wall Township Police Department Detective Steve Swenson at 732-449-4500.

This case has been assigned to Monmouth County Assistant Prosecutor Danielle Zanzuccki, Director of the MCPO Special Victims Bureau.

His attorney was not immediately available for a response to Patch. But the attorney, Brian Neary of Hackensack, told app.com Gallagher is pleading not guilty and he is preparing a detention hearing for his release.

Convictions on first-degree criminal charges can be punishable by terms of up to 20 years in state prison, the prosecutor's office said.