School janitor arrested on child porn charges passed N.J. background check, superintendent says
Updated Feb 15, 2021;
A former school janitor facing multiple child pornography charges passed state and local background checks before he was hired to work in Essex County schools, the district’s superintendent said Friday.
Christopher M. Lucas, 30, of Clifton in Passaic County, worked for the North Caldwell Public School System from September 2020 until his arrest on Thursday.
Lucas, who worked in a “non-teaching staff position,” no longer works for the district, Superintendent of Schools Linda Freda said in a letter to parents on Friday.
Investigators said they recovered photos and videos of child sexual abuse that Lucas allegedly downloaded from the internet.
A Clifton man who worked as a public school custodian has been arrested and charged for distribution, maintenance and possession of child pornography, prosecutors in Passaic County said Friday. Detectives recovered 133 images and videos of child sex abuse obtained on the internet by Lucas.