MEAWW.COM / NEWS / CRIME & JUSTICE

New Jersey 'coolest' Catholic teacher who had sex with 17-year-old student more than 60 times gets arrested

Bridget Sipera, 36, was accused of initiating a sexual relationship with the student of Camden Catholic High School where she was teaching literature

CHERRY HILL, NEW JERSEY: A Catholic school teacher is facing charges after she allegedly had sex with a male student from the school when he was 17 years old. 36-year-old Bridget Sipera has been accused of starting up and initiating a sexual relationship with a 'recent graduate' of Camden Catholic High School where she had been teaching literature. Sipera had begun the relationship last year in January with it lasting for 18 months, Daily Mail reports.

Sipera was arrested on multiple charges which included second-degree sexual assault on August 26 after the unidentified boy told the local police about the relationship on August 6, the Camden County Prosecutor's Office revealed. The police revealed that the relationship had started after the student had been in one of Sipera's classes. 

According to ABC, the victim had told the authorities that the relationship had gone on for around 18 months which included at least 60 sexual encounters that occurred in various locations all over Cherry Hill. The encounters would take place in different homes or in a vehicle. The boy had also revealed that he and Sipera had sex inside his car at locations such as at a hotel parking lot and Cooper River Park, court documents read. The probable cause statement noted that the student had said that he and Sipera had sex at Sipera's home, her mother's home, and in his own home. The boy was able to provide the police with "specific details of the layout" of Sipera's home as well as her mother's home.

When contacted by the police, Sipera admitted to the sexual relationship, court documents reveal. Prosecutors said that Sipera had 'supervisory or disciplinary power' over the then-student. The school said in a statement to Courier Post that they had immediately fired Sipera from her job. "Camden Catholic High School will be cooperating fully with local law enforcement," the statement also revealed.

An online student handbook shows that for the year 2017-2018, Sipera had been listed under the McAuley program which is a service for students "with mild learning disabilities." A magazine produced by the school last year, showed that she had been named Coach of the Year by the Women's Lacrosse Club of South Jersey. According to a Facebook post for a radio show in Philadelphia, 'Preston & Steve on WMMR' says that Sipera was also voted "Camden Catholic High School's coolest teacher" back in 2013. She is currently being held at the Camden County Jail. 

She has been charged with one count of second-degree sexual assault and one count of second-degree endangering the welfare of a child in Camden County. She was also charged with one count of second-degree sexual assault and one count of second-degree endangering the welfare of a child for crimes that occurred in nearby Gloucester Township, New Jersey.

Many social media users have slammed Sipera for her actions. One such user shared, "Push for the new punishment for pedophiles to be sentenced to 'death' but they actually just get put to sleep and wake up on the day of their execution repeatedly until they enjoy it, then end them."

Another added, "A VERY BAD TEACHER !!! SOMETHING MUST BE MENTAL WITH HER. NOT A DEFENSE SHE SHOULD HAVE SOUGHT HELP WITH HER PROBLEM NO CHILD AND A 17 YO IS STILL ONE, SHOULD BE A VICTIM !! SHE WAS TRUSTED AND THAT TRUST WAS BROKEN. SHE HAS TO PAY FOR THAT THE VICTIM NEEDS M.H. SERVICES."