Coach culled nude pix from boys, cops say Monday, July 21, 2008
BY JASON TSAI STAFF WRITER
RIVER EDGE — A former middle school basketball coach convinced at least four teenage boys into taking naked pictures of themselves by claiming that a group of blackmailers already had nude shots of the boys and their families, authorities said today.
Adam Melzer, 34, of Teaneck, told the former Rosenbaum Yeshiva of North Jersey students that the blackmailers used telephoto lenses to shoot the boys naked in their homes, Bergen County Prosecutor John L. Molinelli said.
Melzer, who was a basketball coach at the school, told the boys the only way to prevent the group from publishing the photos was for the boys to take naked pictures of themselves with digital cameras that Melzer supplied, Molinelli said.
Melzer claimed he would forward these pictures onto the blackmailing crew, and the crew members would in return give him the pictures they had taken of the boys and their families, authorities said.
All four boys took photographs of themselves and gave them to Melzer.
Joseph Macellaro, chief of detectives for the Prosecutor’s Office, said he was unsure of how many photos Melzer collected.
“He used his position of authority and respect to gain access to very personal photographs,” Molinelli said Monday.
School and law enforcement officials said Melzer told the ruse to two separate pairs of boys in 2006 and 2007. All four, who were between the ages of 14 and 16 at the time, were recent graduates of the Kinderkamack Road school.
Melzer, who had been their basketball coach while they were students, took them on as volunteer referees after graduation, authorities said.
The school’s dean, Rabbi Schmuel Goldstein, said he was shocked by the allegations and described Melzer as popular and well-liked. Melzer was a coach the past four years and had already decided not to return next year for scheduling reasons, Goldstein said.
“There were never any accusations while he was coach,” Goldstein said. “Certainly if there were any concerns we would’ve responded quickly.”
Melzer, who is married, turned himself into county authorities Friday at the Prosecutor’s Office’s office in Paramus, authorities said.
He was released after posting $50,000 bail, authorities said. Melzer is charged with four counts of child endangerment and is scheduled to appear in Municipal Court this afternoon, authorities said.
Calls made to his Briarcliff Road home were not immediately returned Monday.
Molinelli said Melzer also told his victims that the fictitious crew also sought pictures of the boys’ sisters and mothers in various states of undress.
The investigation began recently after one set of victims heard the other set speaking about the Melzer incident. All four are now high school students, though authorities wouldn’t specify at which schools.
“It’s definitely out of the ordinary. I haven’t seen this before,” the prosecutor said. “But in the area of sexual predators, I’m never surprised.”
E-mail: tsai@northjersey.com
7 comments:
http://www.jstandard.com/articles/3379/1/Basketball-tournament-honors-Holocaust-hero
We provided the funding for Adam Melzer's events.
His wife has a degree in clinical psych and couldn't tell that her husband was sick. What did they talk about at home, the weather? As the ADA said, when it comes to this nothing is surprising.
Why can't the community find out who the boys were and HONOR them for being mekayem the mitzvah of Lo Saamod Al Dam Reyecha and turning this guy over to the police. Teach people a lesson that victims should not be ashamed or afraid to do the right thing, but should be proud and know that they are heroes for coming forward and our Jewish community will thank them and reward them?
UOJ, is there any way this could be arranged? Do you know people who know people in Teaneck?
I have many friends in Teaneck. I'm certain they will do right for these kids. May they go from strength to strength in fighting evil, and protecting their community.
Why reward the boys? They are lying. Or at least one is lying and coerced the others to corroborate. Adam and family s/b getting the chizuk. Not the kids. Maybe, and if, they get to Israel next year, they can all learn some yiddishkeit. And, that honesty is the best policy.
Anonymous 10:21 07/27/2008,
By extension your comment suggests that anyone who accuses another of a criminal act or an immoral act is to be prejudged a liar as no Jew could ever be involved in such things. So no Jew was ever involved in any criminal act or any immoral act? Maybe you need a Jewish education? Israel is not the place to go to learn Yiddishkeit. You need to have some background before going there otherwise you can hang out on Coney Island Avenue or some other American island of ineptitude.
If honesty is truly your best policy then as any judge of character you'll wait until all the parties have presented their side of the story. It's disconcerting, sometimes, that you can't run trials over the blogs and that the accusers won't gratify us with intimate details. But this is a family blog and government frowns on that.
The reporting of an event, however heinous, is not the judgement handed down over the event. Newspapers and journalists report the news - sensationalized or otherwise. It's up to responsible and educated adults to seperate fact from spin. I am presupposing that you take political positions with the appropriate grain of salt, and therefore forgive you regarding your lapse here.
I know of another sordid story with this guy.
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