Catholic Friar Accused Of Molesting New Brunswick Girl, 5; Fired From Catholic High School Where He Worked

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ — A friar who worked at a Catholic high school in Joliet, Illinois is accused of molesting a 5-year-old girl in New Brunswick, with the alleged abuse starting in 2023 and lasting for the next two years until the girl told someone last July.

Pedro Cruz Diaz was arrested by law enforcement in New Jersey in July 2025; he was charged with aggravated sex assault against a child under the age of 13, criminal sexual contact and child endangerment.

Diaz was released as his case proceeds in court; a judge ordered him to have no contact with the alleged victim or her family, and to have no unsupervised contact with children under the age of 18.

At the time of his arrest last summer, Diaz was a Carmelite Brother working at Joliet Catholic Academy, a 9-12 private Catholic high school in Joliet, Illinois. Before that, the Catholic church stationed him in Arizona. A Carmelite Brother is not a priest or a monk, but is a man who has chosen to work in the Catholic church through teaching and ministry. They wear brown robes and an important part of their order is a commitment to poverty, sexual chastity and obedience to God's word.

Diaz spent the 2024-'25 school year working at the high school, first as an intern, then a substitute teacher and also in campus ministry. The diocese said here it fired him as soon as it learned of the criminal sex charges in New Jersey.

Details of alleged sex abuse of 5-year-old New Brunswick girl

Diaz is accused of molesting the New Brunswick girl beginning in 2023, a year before he arrived in Illinois. The alleged molestation started in August 2023, when the girl was 5 years old, and lasted until July 2025, said New Brunswick Police.

Diaz's mother was the child's babysitter, and the girl often stayed at her home while her parents worked. Diaz would come back and visit his mother, said police.

In an interview with New Brunswick Police, the girl told officers Diaz touched her in intimate areas multiple times, and touched himself. The girl told police the touching took place on the "couch or at the table" at her babysitter's home.

New Brunswick Police interviewed three additional witnesses, the first of whom told police the girl told her she had been molested; the second said the babysitter watched the girl for approximately two years and the third witness said whenever Diaz visited his mother, he slept on the couch. She also said she had seen the suspect and the victim on the couch together.

It was on July 20, 2025 that the girl and her family told the New Brunswick Police Department she had been molested.

Diaz's case had a status conference Friday in Middlesex County Superior court; he did not have to appear. His next court date is March 16. His defense attorney is Jonathan Kessous.

Catholic diocese in Joliet, Illinois said it immediately fired Diaz from Joliet Catholic Academy

It was the Catholic diocese of Joliet that first announced Diaz was charged with sex crimes. On August 13, 2025, the diocese published this statement on its website saying they terminated his employment at the high school. He has not been accused of any sex crimes at the high school or in Illinois, said the diocese.

The church said they published the statement online the very same day they were made aware of the New Jersey charges.

However, that announcement was not circulated to the news media, and no press release was ever posted on the Diocese of Joliet or Joliet Catholic Academy Facebook pages.

The Catholic high school maintains it notified parents in August.

"On August 12, 2025 the Diocese of Joliet and Joliet Catholic Academy notified parents and families that Brother Pedro Cruz Diaz, Order Carm, was removed from ministry to allow a criminal investigation to take place due to an accusation of possible inappropriate behavior regarding a minor," Joliet Catholic Academy director of institutional advancement Ryan Quigley said Thursday, responding to Patch's questions. "Br. Pedro’s alleged criminal sexual misconduct occurred in New Jersey, not Illinois. As a result, he was immediately removed from ministry once the Carmelites learned of the allegation. Br. Pedro served as an intern at JCA from November 1, 2024 until May, 2025. Br. Pedro has not been employed at JCA during the 2025-2026 school year and the investigation in New Jersey is ongoing. He assisted in campus ministry and occasionally served as a substitute teacher. We are not aware of any alleged misconduct by Br. Pedro at JCA or in Illinois.”

Diaz was interviewed by students at the high school in November 2024 for their student television show. The interview was posted here on YouTube but has since been taken down.

The Illinois Patch version: Ousted Carmelite Brother At Joliet Catholic Academy Faces Multiple Child Sex Charges In New Jersey