Pennsylvania Hunterdon County camp counselor charged with sexual contact with 3 children

A former Hunterdon County summer camp counselor has been arrested and charged with sexual contact with three children under the age of 13.

Joshua F. Daranijo, 24, of Levittown, Pennsylvania, worked at Camp Bernie at the Ridgewood YMCA and was fired when allegations were made that he inappropriately touched child campers and an investigation was launched earlier this summer.

Ridgewood YMCA is not affiliated with the YMCA of Bucks County and Hunterdon County.

Hunterdon County prosecutors announced Thursday that Daranijo was arrested on Wednesday and charged with three counts of second-degree sexual assault by contact and three second-degree counts of endangering the well-being of a child. .

Daranijo is being held in Warren County Jail pending his first court appearance.

Ridgewood YMCA President and CEO Ernest Lamour previously told lehighvalleylive.com that when it was reported that a staff member at Camp Bernie “acted inappropriately with the children at camp,” authorities and families were informed and the staff member was immediately placed on leave.

The investigation is ongoing and anyone with relevant information is asked to contact Sergeant Jessica Neiber of the Hunterdon County District Attorney’s Office at 908-788-1129.

Camp Bernie is in Lebanon Township, near the Warren County border. It offers day camps, overnight camps, and summer community classes during the summer, according to the camp’s website.

Lamour said the staff member passed all YMCA background checks, including national sex offender registry checks, state and county criminal records checks, as well as criminal and criminal records checks, arrests and incarcerations.

“All of the checks we have carried out on this individual have been found to be clean – he had no previous records or other cause for concern in his background, and he had no discipline issues while working for Ridgewood YMCA and YMCA Camp Bernie,” Lamour said.

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Sarah Cassi can be reached at scassi@lehighvalleylive.com.