A former gymnastics instructor who worked at multiple locations in Union County has been charged with sexually assaulting a 7-year-old student over the course of more than six months, acting Union County Prosecutor Thomas K. Isenhour announced Wednesday.
According to authorities, Jorge Rodriguez, 34, formerly of Elizabeth and currently of Boston, Massachusetts, has been charged with second-degree sexual assault and second-degree endangering the welfare of a child.
A Special Victims Unit investigation spearheaded by Detective Colin McNamara revealed that the alleged abuse took place from September 2015 into March 2016 at the Surgent’s Elite School of Gymnastics location in Westfield, while the victim was a student, according to Union County Assistant Prosecutor Michael Sheets, who is prosecuting the case.
Rodriguez is currently being held at a corrections center in Boston on unrelated charges, and a first appearance in Union County Superior Court has yet to be scheduled.
Officials state that Rodriguez also worked at the Garwood and Roselle Park Elite School of Gymnastics locations during recent years.
Anyone with information about his activities is being urged to contact Special Victims Unit Detective Ryan Kirsh at 908-965-3814.
Convictions on second-degree criminal charges are commonly punishable by 5 to 10 years in state prison.
These criminal charges are mere accusations. Each defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.