NJ Catholic high school teacher arrested for allegedly filming child sexual abuse of students
MIDDLESEX COUNTY, New Jersey (WABC) -- A teacher working at a Catholic high school in Edison, New Jersey has been accused of creating child porn.
Axel Palomares, 50, a Spanish teacher and girls' soccer coach at Saint Thomas Aquinas High School, has been arrested and charged with creating and possessing child sexual abuse material, child endangerment, and invasion of privacy.
Detective Ken McGarry of the Internet Crimes Against Children Unit opened an investigation into Palomares after receiving a tip from one of the apps police say the suspect was using to share his illicit exploits.
The warrant alleges that from April 2022 to at least March 2025, Palomares sexually abused students and taped said abuse in his classroom. Police claim that Palomares secretly photographed and filmed images of unaware undergarment-clad children and students in compromising positions at the school and at stores and restrooms at Bridgewater and Short Hills malls.
On Tuesday, Palomares was arrested without incident at his Morristown home.
Police also entered the school campus to investigate, and the school is cooperating with authorities, the Catholic Diocese of Metuchen says.
"We are devastated to learn that some of our students' privacy may have been violated by this sickening conduct," the Diocese said in statement, adding that counseling will be available to students and the school plans to work with law enforcement to better protect its students.
Family members of students at the school say justice needs to be served.
"Somebody just doesn't do this out of the clear blue. This has been going on ... of course, they didn't catch it, and so this is what we're faced with," said Jacqueline Casey, whose granddaughter attends the school.
Palomares is being held at the Middlesex County Adult Correctional Facility, pending the results of a pre-trial detention hearing.
Police say the investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information is encouraged to call Detective McGarry of the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office at 732-745-3140.
CCM star Michael Tait accused of sexual misconduct by multiple men, drug use: report
Michael Tait, the longtime frontman of Christian rock band Newsboys and a former member of Grammy-winning group DC Talk, is facing multiple allegations of sexual misconduct and substance abuse, according to an extensive investigation published by The Roys Report.
The investigation, which spanned more than two years and included interviews with over 50 sources, details accusations from at least three men who say Tait engaged in predatory behavior while they were in their early 20s.
The alleged incidents occurred in 2004, 2010 and 2014, with victims describing similar patterns of grooming, alcohol use and non-consensual physical contact.
Two of the men alleged that Tait fondled them while they were intoxicated. One said Tait offered him cocaine aboard the Newsboys tour bus. Another recounted an incident in which Tait massaged his buttocks and anal region after skinny dipping, later initiating unwanted physical contact in bed.
The claims are among several that have circulated for years in Nashville's Christian music community, long considered an “open secret” within the industry, according to the report. Alleged victims say fear of being blackballed or not taken seriously kept them from speaking publicly until now.
Tait, 58, rose to fame in the 1990s as one-third of DC Talk, a Christian band whose 1995 album “Jesus Freak” sold more than 3 million copies and became a defining cultural moment for Evangelical youth. After the group’s hiatus in 2001, Tait joined Newsboys in 2009, helping lead the band to new commercial success, including four No. 1 albums on the Billboard Christian charts.
Tait stepped down from Newsboys in January. In a brief statement posted to the band’s social media, he described the move as “a shock to even myself,” citing prayer and fasting as part of his decision.
The announcement came just days before the start of a major tour and after the release of a new single, “How Many Times," and the band quickly re-recorded the song with new lead vocalist Adam Agee.
In an interview last month, Agee told The Christian Post the former DC Talk singer surprised them with the news of his departure and simply told the band “he was going to focus on himself.”
“I know that he left and he just gave us a few reasons why he was stepping down, and he just said he's going to focus on himself,” Agee said. “Other than that, I don't really know, because we didn't really discuss it further. Hopefully, he'll make some kind of a statement soon, but that, again, is just up to him. We wish it had happened a little bit sooner, but there's nothing we can do about that, and I think we've tried to make the most out of it, and we wish him all the best moving forward.”
Tait hasn't made any public statements since announcing his departure from Newsboys and has been absent from social media. There is no indication that he stepped down due to these allegations, though the timing, days after rumors about his sexuality began circulating online, has fueled speculation within the Christian music community.
While the band hasn't directly commented on the latest allegations surrounding Tait, Newsboys released a statement to Roys through attorney Samuel D. Lipshie of Bradley Arant Boult Cummings.
“While we are aware of unsubstantiated aspersion cast via internet towards Mr. Tait and Newsboys by one particular individual, because your questions revolve around the alleged behavior and actions of Mr. Tait, it would be inappropriate for Newsboys to speculate or comment,” the statement said.
“If what you allege can be supported with evidence, we would imagine Mr. Tait and his representatives will have something to say about the matter.”
The three men who came forward shared similar experiences involving grooming and unwanted contact.
One alleged that Tait gave him alcohol, massaged his feet and later fondled him while he was incapacitated. Another described Tait giving him massages during a skinny dipping encounter before allegedly massaging his anal region in bed. A third said he was offered cocaine and later woke up to Tait touching him without consent on a tour bus.
The men said they chose to speak now in hopes of protecting others.
“There are multiple people who have had similar experiences,” one of the men, identified as “Steven,” said. “I would like to share it if it helps other people. I (have) moved on from that trauma.”
Christian musician Chris Sligh, a former “American Idol” finalist who toured with Newsboys, and fellow bandmate Tommy Lee both publicly apologized for initially downplaying the seriousness of the incidents. They said they believed the behavior was odd at the time but did not recognize it as sexual assault until years later.
“I had told other people about this story because I thought it was so hilarious at the time,” Lee said. “And I thought, ‘Well, that’s kind of odd, you know, like, if you’re trying to help a young Christian kid out.’ … Now I realize it was wrong.”
A third alleged victim, “Phillip,” said he initially viewed Tait’s actions as a misguided attempt at intimacy but later came to see it as assault. “The more time I spent in Nashville circles, the more it sounded like a pattern,” he said.
Supporters of the alleged victims, including their spouses and former bandmates, told the Roys Report they believe now is the time for accountability.
“Taylor and I very much love the Lord,” one victim’s wife said. “And I personally believe that whenever the Lord wants to expose it, and God is ready to shine the light, He will.”
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