the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Twp. of Washington NJ, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella announced the arrest of TARA CARDINALE (DOB: 03/13/1980; single; Licensed Clinical Social Worker) of Washington Township, NJ on charges of Endangering The Welfare Of A Child and Criminal Sexual Contact. The arrest is the result of a joint investigation conducted by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office under the direction of Chief Robert Anzilotti, the Paramus Police Department under the direction of Chief Kenneth Ehrenberg, and the Washington Township Police Department under the direction of Chief Richard Skinner.
On Sunday, December 29, 2019, the Paramus Police Department received information that TARA CARDINALE, a Primary Therapist at a private high school in Paramus, NJ, was engaging in a sexual relationship with a student under the age of 18. A joint investigation by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit, the Paramus Police Department, and the Washington Township Police Department revealed that, on more than one occasion, TARA CARDINALE invited the student to her residence in Washington Township, NJ where they engaged in sexual activity.
On Friday, January 10, 2020, TARA CARDINALE was arrested in Washington Township, NJ and charged with one count of Endangering The Welfare Of A Child, in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:24-4a(1), a 2nd degree crime; and one count of Criminal Sexual Contact, in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:14-3b, a 4th degree crime. TARA CARDINALE was remanded to the Bergen County Jail pending her first appearance in Central Judicial Processing Court in Hackensack, NJ on Wednesday, January 15, 2020.
Prosecutor Musella states that the charges are merely accusations and that the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, and he would like to thank the Paramus Police Department and the Washington Township Police Department for their assistance in this investigation.
