Former Upper Darby elementary school principal arrested on child sex assault charges, police say

Former Upper Darby school principal arrested for child sexual abuse, police say

A former principal who worked at an elementary school in Upper Darby in 2018 has been charged with child sexual abuse stemming from his time there, according to police. FOX 29's Kelly Rule has the details.

UPPER DARBY, Pa. - A former elementary school principal in Upper Darby has been arrested on child sexual assault charges, according to the Delaware County District Attorney.

Police say 39-year-old Jonathan Wisneski of Springfield, Pennsylvania, was arraigned on Thursday afternoon. Bail was set at $150,000.

He faces charges of intercourse/sexual contact with a student, indecent assault on a person under the age of 13, corruption of minors and endangering the welfare of children, according to the criminal complaint obtained by FOX 29.

Wisneski has not worked for the Upper Darby School District since 2018 and he currently works at Devereaux Cares School in Downington, according to police.

Authorities say there were allegations against him when he was principal in 2018 and those claims were investigated by law enforcement and the district attorney's office.

After the allegations surfaced, the district said they moved towards a process of separation and Wisneski was no longer employed for the district.

According to the complaint, four female students were interviewed in 2018 and no disclosures were made to investigators at the time.

On Feb. 3, 2022, an Upper Darby police detective received a call from the mother of one of the female students initially interviewed in 2018. The mother said her daughter disclosed that she was inappropriately touched by the former principal when she was a student at Primos Elementary School.

A forensic interview was conducted, leading to the new case and charges.

On Tuesday, the victim told investigators Wisneski was her principal at Primos Elementary when she was in the fifth grade in the 2017 - 2018 school year, the complaint said. The victim allegedly said Wisneski would "entertain her and other fifth grade students in his office as rewards."

The disclosure also included other graphic details alleging Wisneski inappropriately touched female students in his office with the door closed.

Another victim told investigators on Thursday that Wisneski would take female students on "off-campus trips" to places like the library and a local pizzeria, according to the complaint. No other adults were allegedly present during the encounters.

The criminal complaint also included information about witnesses who expressed concern about Wisneski's behavior with some of the female students, including an administrative assistant.

Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollstemier said his office takes the allegations very seriously.

"I think parents should know today all of us are committed whenever a child comes forward and says they have been inappropriately touched by anybody, we're going to take it very seriously and we're going to investigate it to the full extent. The fact that four years later we're able to bring charges shows that commitment," Stollsteimer said.

Wisneski was escorted to jail by police on Friday evening.