$1.6M settlement approved after NJ family says this hiring decision led to a nightmare
⚠️ Englewood agreed to pay $1.6 million to settle a family's lawsuit over an after-school program.
➡️ The family said the city hired a parks worker without a background check or formal hiring process.
🔴 The former employee faces multiple sexual assault charges and remains jailed awaiting trial.
ENGLEWOOD — This New Jersey city is eating a seven-figure settlement after its parks and rec director hired a family member who is now accused of sexual assault.
Johnathan P. Jones, 24, is charged with three counts each of first-degree aggravated sexual assault, second-degree sexual assault of a victim younger than 13 years old, and second-degree child endangerment. According to the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office, he was arrested in Paramus in December 2023.
On July 22, a Superior Court judge in Bergen County approved a $1.6 million settlement between an Englewood family and the city that hired Jones. The city was accused of failing to protect the family's 9-year-old daughter. The settlement was first reported by John Paff with transparencynj.com.
Family says assaults happened during Englewood after-school program
The family said in September 2023, their daughter began attending an Englewood after-school program for elementary students where Jones worked. Jones viciously sexually assaulted the girl at the program several times over the course of two months, investigators said.
The program was run by the city's Parks & Recreation Department. Parks Director Merle Simons knew that her relative, Jones, was "emotionally disturbed and unsafe" when she hired him without a background check or formal hiring process, according to the family. Simons retired in March 2024, according to her LinkedIn profile.
Jones was previously arrested twice in January 2023, more than half a year before the after-school program began.
On Jan. 6, 2023, a woman told Elmwood Park police that Jones, a stranger, had forced his way into her apartment to take a shower. The woman said that when she confronted him, Jones took a towel and left. He was charged with third-degree attempted forced entry and fourth-degree entering an unlocked dwelling.
Three days later, Jones was the subject of another police call in Rochelle Park. Local police said he was running through the halls of a hotel and refused to leave. Officers said they found him on the third floor and that, when they arrested him, Jones threatened to "kill each and everyone of you."
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Jones remains jailed as additional charge is filed
The list of charges against Jones is growing. On Friday, Jones was charged with fourth-degree aggravated assault on a corrections officer. He's being held at Bergen County Jail, where he's now accused of repeatedly punching the officer in the head with a closed fist.
His next hearing is scheduled for Monday, Aug. 3 in Superior Court. Jones is represented by a public defender.
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