A former New Jersey grade school janitor who pleaded guilty to taping explicit content involving knives and forks and spraying bleach on the food in an elementary school cafeteria will spend eight years in prison and the rest of his life on probation, according to a Cumberland County Prosecutor’s Office press release.
The Cumberland Prosecutor’s Office said it all started in the fall of 2023 when Elizabeth F. Moore School officials in Upper Deerfield Township, NJ, in Cumberland County were notified someone had shared footage of themselves “putting cleaning items and bodily fluids” on food and “subjecting” cafeteria forks and knives from the grade school cafeteria to his “privates” in a Telegram chat group.
The footage was traced to the school janitor, Giovanni Impellizzeri. Impellizzeri’s probable cause affidavit says he taped explicit acts after hours at the school with knives, forks, pillows, and bowls, and contaminated food and utensils with urine, saliva, and feces, which were then offered to students and staff the next day.
Cumberland County Prosecutors believe that Impellizzeri may have done similar things in other areas of the school.
He takes the “plastic wrap” off the cucumbers
PRISON SENTENCE: Police say Giovanni Impellizzeri recorded himself contaminating food intended for students with his bodily fluids. https://t.co/fWdQYP4fzX
— News12NJ (@News12NJ) March 29, 2025
Lindsey Seidel, an assistant Cumberland County prosecutor, described Impellizzeri’s crimes after his arrest: In the footage, she says, “He takes the plastic wrap off of the container of cucumbers. He then shows a spray bottle of Clorox cleanup to the camera and proceeds to spray the cucumbers with the cleaner.”
According to CBS News, Impellizzeri, who has a history of mental illness, told the judge he believed he was doing “the devil’s work.” He reportedly told someone on social media he hoped students and staff would “get sick.”
Impellizzeri had worked at Elizabeth F. Moore for about four years before he got caught, and the contaminated items were quickly disposed of when school officials discovered what he’d done. Investigators also found Child Sex Abuse Material (CSAM) in Impellizzeri’s possession.
Impellizzeri’s initial charges included aggravated assault, tampering with food products, attempted endangering, and official misconduct.
In a plea deal, Impellizzeri, now 25, pleaded guilty to second-degree official misconduct and third-degree child pornography possession in January 2025.
His sentence was handed down on March 28. As part of his deal, Impellizzeri will spend five years in prison before he is eligible for parole.
Impellizzeri apologized in court
According to Delaware Valley’s 6 ABC Action News, Impellizzeri said at his sentencing, “I would like to apologize for my actions, there’s no excuse for it. I feel very bad about it. I wish I could go back in time and not do it, but it’s done now, and I realize I have to pay for it.”
Meanwhile, the mother of one of the students at Elizabeth F. Moore School told the court at Impellizzeri’s sentencing, “I believe he should get the maximum sentence possible. He should sit in jail for years to think about how he has impacted each of those children walking in that building.”
Referring to the shocking case, Elizabeth F. Moore school district Superintendent Dr. Peter Koza added in court, “We were all victims to these heinous acts and deplorable acts of one individual. What our students or staff, our parents, and our community had to endure is unconscionable.”
Published: Mar 31, 2025 12:19 pm