It was no accident Friday that the Middlesex County Prosecutor's office charged seven Sayreville War Memorial High School football players for their role in a series of alleged sexual assaults, a parent of a player told NJ Advance Media Saturday.



It was no accident, the parent said, because the group of players involved in the extreme hazing ritual numbered seven, their son, a player at the school, confided.



Four players would pounce on a freshman, pinning him to the locker room floor. Two would provide lookout at the door. And one player would howl, cut off the lights and digitally penetrate the freshman.



The parent was one of two to speak exclusively with NJ Advance Media Saturday — adding more disturbing details of the locker room hazing ritual the day after seven players from the school were charged with crimes ranging from aggravated sexual assault to criminal restraint.

“It’s sickening,” the parent said. “Just think if my son or somebody else’s son wanted to leave and they either felt overwhelmed by it, [or felt] they couldn’t leave because there was somebody at the door. It’s like being in a bad dream.”

Another parent of a Sayreville player described the entire situation as “horrifying.”

The parents, whose identities are being protected because they fear reprisals against their sons or families, agreed to speak with NJ Advance Media in two separate interview sessions that spanned nearly an hour Saturday.

“When you send your kids off to school and you think they’re going to be safe and something like this goes on, it’s very scary,” the second parent said.

Both parents also said they fear for the alleged victims, and wonder if enough is being done to protect them.

“I’m afraid that these four people are going to get scared into saying that it wasn’t as bad as it really was,” the second parent said. “That’s my fear. Because kids talk. People talk. They might downplay what happened just because they feel bad for what’s going to happen to their so-called friends.”

District Superintendent Richard Labbe and school board president Kevin Ciak did not return repeated messages left on their home and cell phones asking about the status of the seven players charged and whether they will be allowed to attend school Monday.

“How do you put people in the same room? It doesn’t make sense,” the second parent said. “Plus, we had the people going to school with these perpetrators for all those days until the prosecutor finally did what they had to do. That had to be really awkward for the victims, that they had to be around these people.”

According to the complaints filed Friday, one or more of the players held victims against their will, while others improperly touched victims in a sexual manner. In one case, one of the victims was kicked during an attack, according to the prosecutor’s office.

Three were charged with aggravated sexual assault, aggravated criminal sexual contact, conspiracy to commit aggravated criminal sexual contact, criminal restraint, and hazing for engaging in an act of sexual penetration upon one of the juvenile victims. One of those defendants and four others were charged with various counts including aggravated assault, conspiracy, aggravated criminal sexual contact, hazing and riot by participating in the attack of some of the victims.

Prosecutors said the events took place in four separate incidents at Sayreville War Memorial High School, between Sept. 19 and Sept. 29.

The second parent felt “rage” Saturday because “you don’t want anyone putting their hands on your child.”

“Any parent that has a child in the school system or in any of the sports programs that have to be around these people, I’m sure they’re relieved now,” the parent said. “And even going forward now, this puts a voice to people who have been bullied in the past, that this is not going to be tolerated moving forward. As a parent, now I know that going forward there will be a safer atmosphere in the school.”

The second parent said the town remains divided, but the parent has peace of mind that charges were filed.

“The sense is that this put all the doubters, this really is an eye-opener for all of those people,” the parent said. “For the person that got up [to speak] and was worried about their kid going to college and getting scholarship, they really needed to wake up and see what the big picture is.”

Matthew Stanmyre may be reached at mstanmyre@njadvancemedia.com.

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