Former NJ teacher arrested for sexual assault after student discloses yearslong relationship

A former high school teacher in New Jersey has been arrested, accused of sexually assaulting a student over the course of several years.

Investigators said Lydia Pinto was a teacher in Raritan Borough when she allegedly first assaulted the minor. She's accused of having a yearslong relationship with the victim starting when he was just 14 or 15.

Prosecutors in Somerset County did not say exactly when it happened, but said they spoke to the student, who is now an adult. They said an anonymous email was sent in mid-October to Bridgewater police.

The former student was then interviewed 10 days later, when he reported "engaging in a relationship" with the now 38-year-old woman from Newton. The victim said the two continued a relationship through his senior year of high school, according to prosecutors.

Pinto was arrested in Franklin Township, and is being held ahead of her first court appearance.