Former Cumberland County janitor sentenced for contaminating school food with bodily fluids

A former Elizabeth Moore School custodian will spend eight years in New Jersey state prison after admitting he contaminated school food and utensils, a case that has left Upper Deerfield Township families asking how such a breach could reach students’ meals.

Giovanni Impellizzeri pleaded guilty in January 2025 to second-degree official misconduct and third-degree possession of child sexual abuse material, then apologized before Judge Cristen P. D’Arrigo sentenced him on March 28 to eight years. Under the sentence, he must serve at least five years before becoming eligible for parole and will remain under parole supervision for the rest of his life.

Court records and reporting said Impellizzeri admitted using saliva, urine and feces to contaminate food products and utensils at the Cumberland County school in 2023. Prosecutors said the food was consumed by students and staff, turning an ordinary school meal setting into a source of deep alarm for parents and employees alike.

The case has also forced renewed scrutiny of cafeteria supervision and employee screening in the Upper Deerfield Township School District. Impellizzeri had worked as a custodian for the district beginning Sept. 1, 2019, giving him repeated access to school spaces and equipment before his arrest in October 2023. Investigators said they learned of videos he recorded showing the contamination, including footage that showed bleach being sprayed into food and utensils being placed on his genitals.

At sentencing, Upper Deerfield School Superintendent Peter Koza said the case had shaken the school community. Parent Marisol Perez Cruz told the court she was disgusted and hurt that a place she believed was safe for her child was not. The original charges had included aggravated assault, tampering with food products, attempted endangering and official misconduct before the plea deal narrowed the case to the convictions that carried Friday’s sentence.

The district previously said it would continue cleaning the school and address parents’ concerns after the allegations surfaced, but the central question remains how a trusted school worker was able to breach the food service environment so completely. For Cumberland County parents, the sentence closes one criminal chapter, but the wider test is whether school safeguards are now strong enough to restore confidence in the cafeteria and beyond.