Jersey City Teacher Arrested on Child Sexual Abuse Material Charges

A high school English teacher in Jersey City has been arrested on allegations involving child sexual abuse material, according to a criminal complaint. Alton F. Brown, who taught at Henry Snyder High School, an arts magnet school, was taken into custody on Sept. 8. The arrest followed a tip from Google, which reported that a video depicting child sexual abuse had been uploaded to his cloud account, the complaint said. After securing a warrant, investigators found one photo and 42 videos of child sexual abuse material in the account, according to court documents. Police later searched Brown's home, arrested him and seized two cellphones, the records said. Jersey City Superintendent of Schools Norma Fernandez said the district acted immediately after learning of the allegations, placing Brown on leave and cutting off his access to district facilities, electronic networks and learning platforms. She did not say whether the leave was paid or unpaid. As of Wednesday afternoon, Brown, 41, of Jersey City, was still listed on the school's staff page. “The individual has not been active in his role during the current academic year,” Fernandez said. “As student safety and well-being remain our highest priorities, the District will cooperate fully with law enforcement,” she said. “Because this concern involves an ongoing law enforcement inquiry and a confidential personnel issue, the District will refrain from offering additional comments presently.” Brown faces one count of knowingly possessing, viewing or controlling child sexual abuse material or child pornography. He is scheduled to appear in Hudson County court on Thursday. Besides teaching, Brown worked as a Zumba dance-exercise instructor at the Bethune Center in Jersey City's Greenville neighborhood.