A 39-year-old former Newark Academy wrestling coach has been charged with sexually assaulting a 15-year-old in the parking lot of a Livingston hospital, after investigators say he first contacted the teen through the dating app Grindr and later moved their conversation to Snapchat. John Kane, of Sparta, faces four counts of second-degree sexual assault and two counts of third-degree endangering the welfare of a child in connection with the alleged April 26 assault.
According to NJ.com, Essex County Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens II said the criminal complaint alleges Kane transported the victim to the parking lot of St. Barnabas Medical Center, where the assault took place. Investigative affidavits reported by New Jersey 101.5 detail how Kane allegedly offered the teen vape products inside his vehicle before the encounter, and specify he was driving a blue SUV bearing a Livingston wrestling sticker when he picked up the victim. Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center, the site of the alleged assault, is a 597-bed teaching hospital in Livingston operated by RWJBarnabas Health and is New Jersey's oldest nonprofit hospital, founded in 1865 — formerly known as Saint Barnabas Medical Center before it was renamed.
How Investigators Identified Kane
Per the same affidavit material, the victim reported the assault to police on May 13, weeks after it allegedly occurred, following a chain of events that began when the teen's mother intercepted a Snapchat message from Kane on May 7. The detective assigned to the case reportedly recognized Kane as a fellow Livingston High School graduate, which helped investigators connect him to the account. Stephens said the investigation remains active and confirmed the victim is not a student at Newark Academy.
The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children's CyberTipline data recorded more than 1.4 million reports of online enticement in 2025.
Kane did not respond to a message left on his cellphone, and information on his attorney was unavailable as of Wednesday afternoon, the outlet reported. A Newark Academy representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment at the time NJ.com's report was published.
A Prominent Figure in Local Wrestling
Kane was a four-year varsity wrestler at Livingston High School and won both district and regional championships as a senior, according to NJ.com. He was added to Newark Academy's athletic staff for the 2025–2026 school year as one of three new varsity head coaches, listed as coach of both the boys' and girls' varsity wrestling programs. Newark Academy Communications Director Renée Walker said Kane passed all mandatory background and reference checks before hiring, had no complaints registered against him during his tenure, and had already ended his employment with the school earlier in the summer before his arrest, as reported by Daily Voice.
Newark Academy is an independent, coeducational college-preparatory day school founded in 1774, sitting on a 68-acre campus in Livingston that serves roughly 650 students in Essex County and charges base tuition of $55,525 for grades 6 through 12 in the current academic year. Before his role at the private school, Kane served as an assistant wrestling coach and had also previously led the Livingston Youth Wrestling Program, during which the municipal program's participation reportedly more than doubled, per the Daily Voice. NJ.com's reporting also notes Kane's past involvement with the West Essex Regional School District, the Township of Livingston, and The Work-Family Connection, a nonprofit after-school program serving Morris, Warren, Union, Somerset, and Hunterdon counties.
Case Follows Other Wrestling Scrutiny in North Jersey
Kane's arrest comes days after Essex County prosecutors confirmed a separate sexual misconduct investigation into another prominent North Jersey wrestling figure, David Cordoba, owner of Cordoba Trained Wrestling in Fairfield, according to the Daily Voice. Cordoba received a temporary suspension from the U.S. Center for SafeSport earlier this month, placing Kane's case within a broader wave of scrutiny facing scholastic and youth wrestling coaches across the region.
What Kane Could Face if Convicted
Under N.J.S.A. 2C:14-2, a conviction on second-degree sexual assault carries a state prison sentence of five to ten years and fines up to $150,000. Second-degree sexual assault under the statute covers acts of sexual penetration involving minors ages 13 to 15 when the accused is at least four years older. Separately, third-degree endangering the welfare of a child under N.J.S.A. 2C:24-4 carries a potential three-to-five-year prison term and mandates lifetime sex offender registration under Megan's Law upon conviction.
The Essex County Prosecutor's Office has asked anyone with information about the case to call its tips line at 1-877-TIPS-4EC.
