🚨 FORMER NJ WRESTLING COACH CHARGED IN ALLEGED SEXUAL ASSAULT OF 15-YEAR-OLD
Prosecutors charged former wrestling coach John Kane with sexually assaulting a 15-year-old in a Livingston hospital parking lot. Kane previously worked with several school and youth programs across multiple New Jersey counties, and he now faces six criminal counts.
LIVINGSTON, NJ — August 27, 2026 — A former wrestling coach with connections to youth and school programs across several New Jersey counties has been charged after prosecutors alleged he sexually assaulted a 15-year-old in a hospital parking lot in Livingston.
The Essex County Prosecutor’s Office announced charges Wednesday against John Kane, 39, of Sparta.
According to prosecutors, the alleged incident occurred on April 26, after Kane reportedly drove the teenage victim to the parking lot of Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston.
Authorities said the victim is not a student at Newark Academy, where Kane previously served as a wrestling coach.
Prosecutors also said Kane had previously been involved with the Livingston Youth Wrestling Program, the West Essex Regional School District, the Township of Livingston, and The Work Family Connection, an after-school program serving communities in Morris, Warren, Union, Somerset and Hunterdon counties.
Kane faces four counts of sexual assault and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child.
The investigation remains ongoing, according to prosecutors.
📞 Anyone with information related to the investigation is asked to contact the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office Tips Line at 1-877-TIPS-4EC (1-877-847-7432).
⚖️ IMPORTANT: The charges against Kane are allegations. He is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
📲 Garden State News Network will continue to follow this developing investigation.