A custodian at Valley Central High School in New York has been arrested in a child sex investigation and charged with a felony, sending a wave of unease through a school community where he was a familiar presence. He has since been placed on administrative leave as the case moves forward.
The accused was identified as Eric Guarneri, 35. According to the reporting, he was not only a custodian at the school but also a DJ who was a recognizable face at school events, which made the news of his arrest especially jarring for students who had seen him there.
Montgomery police say Guarneri is accused of sexually abusing a child under 17. He was arrested and charged with a felony criminal sex act, a serious charge that placed him at the center of an investigation handled by local authorities and prosecutors.
The Orange County District Attorney's Office said the case stems from an alleged sexual encounter with a minor in Montgomery back in 2019. The timeline indicates that the allegations reach back several years before the arrest brought them into public view.
Beyond his work at the school, Guarneri ran his own entertainment business, a DJ operation that performed at parties across New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Connecticut. Sources also confirmed that he had worked as a janitor at Valley Central High School.
The Valley Central School District said that Guarneri is now on administrative leave and that it is cooperating with the investigation. The district's response reflects the standard step taken when an employee faces criminal charges of this nature while a case is pending.
Police said they are not releasing additional details about the case in order to protect the identity of the victim. For now, Guarneri faces the felony charge as the investigation continues, leaving students and the wider community to absorb the allegations against someone many had encountered at their school.