E.B. middle school teacher charged in sexual assault

EAST BRUNSWICK — A middle school teacher was arrested last week on charges that he allegedly sexually assaulted a student.

Yinfu Sun, 56, a teacher at the township's Hammarskjold Middle School, was arrested the evening of March 31 at his home in Highland Park, according to the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office. He was charged with sexual assault and endangering the welfare of a child.

Authorities alleged that Sun had improper contact with a student at the school on three occasions in March. Children between the ages of 11 and 13 attend sixth and seventh grades at the school on Rues Lane.

The investigation began after the victim's relatives learned of the alleged assaults and contacted police. East Brunswick Detective Sean Goggins and Investigator Raj Chopra of the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office led the investigation.

Sun has been suspended from his teaching job, with pay, pending the outcome of the charges.

He began teaching in East Brunswick in September 1990. During his first nine years with the district, he taught at both Hammarskjold Middle School and the Frost Elementary School. He has been teaching exclusively at Hammarskjold for the past 10 years. According to the school's website, he is a teacher of world languages and English as a second language.

Patricia LaDuca, director of community relations and programs for the school district, said the matter is a personnel issue and is thus confidential in nature.

"We are doing everything possible to cooperate with the authorities and want to assure the community that we are committed to providing a safe and secure environment for all of our students," LaDuca said.

Following his arrest last week, Sun was lodged at the Middlesex County Adult Correction Center, North Brunswick, with bail set at $150,000. He would have to post the full amount before he could be released from custody.

Authorities asked that anyone with information on these or similar allegations contact Detective Goggins at 732-390-6990 or Investigator Chopra at 732-745-3600.