Former school custodian in South Jersey admits to contaminating students’ food with urine, bleach
Giovanni A. Impellizzeri, 27, faces eight years in prison as a result of a plea deal with the Cumberland County Prosecutor's Office.
A former elementary school custodian admitted in Cumberland County Court on Monday to contaminating food and cafeteria utensils with bodily fluids and bleach in an attempt to sicken students.
Giovanni A. Impellizzeri, 27, of Vineland, faces eight years in prison after he pleaded guilty to a second-degree count of official misconduct and to third-degree endangering the welfare of a child by possessing child pornography in a separate case, Cumberland County Prosecutor Jennifer Webb-McRae said Tuesday.
Impellizzeri worked at Elizabeth F. Moore School in Upper Deerfield Township from 2019 until 2023, when he was accused of contaminating food and utensils located in the school cafeteria with bleach and bodily fluids, including urine, feces, and saliva. He was accused of performing similar acts to other items in the school.
At the time Impellizzeri was charged, the school enrolled about 240 students in grades three to five.
There were no reports of students or staff becoming sick as a result of the contamination.
The New Jersey State Police were notified about the accusations on Oct. 30, 2023, after school officials received anonymous tips about online posts. Impellizzeri was arrested and charged the next day.
Prosecutors said Impellizzeri recorded video of himself performing the acts and shared them to an online chat group.
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Impellizzeri pleaded guilty as part of a deal with the Cumberland County Prosecutor’s Office. Under the deal, he would serve five years in New Jersey state prison for the contamination case before he is eligible for parole, and be subject to parole supervision for life, Webb-McRae said.
Also under the deal, his sentence for possession of child pornography would be three years in prison to be served consecutively with his five-year sentence, Webb-McRae said.
The child pornography charge was made after investigators found the material during the investigation of the food contamination.
Impellizzeri is scheduled to be formally sentenced March 28.
Public defender Emily Bell, who represented Impellizzeri, could not be reached for comment.
At a November 2023 court hearing, Bell said Impellizzeri has a long history of mental illness and was undergoing treatment.