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Cheerleading coach accused of inappropriate contact with teen girls

Parents of the alleged victims tell News 12 New Jersey that Jonathan Ryker was arrested on Thursday.

Matt Trapani and Chris Keating

Mar 31, 2023, 8:31 PM

Updated 620 days ago

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A cheerleading coach in Burlington County is accused of inappropriate contact with the teens he was teaching.
Parents of the alleged victims tell News 12 New Jersey that Jonathan Ryker was arrested on Thursday. It came after a six-month investigation by the New Jersey State Police.
Ryker, 25, is charged with aggravated criminal sexual contact, endangering and sexual assault by a supervisor, according to documents filed in Burlington County Superior Court.
The allegations of harassment come from September 2022 when he was working at Access Cheerleading, a facility located in Southampton.
"Jonathan Ryker was immediately removed from the Access Cheer facility upon receipt of the initial allegations in September 2022. We immediately reported what we knew to law enforcement," Kim Brubeck, a spokesperson for Access Cheer, wrote in a statement.
The statement continued, "We stand with all survivors of abuse and will continue to create the safest and most consistent place possible for children to compete in allstar cheerleading."
Parents told News 12 that Ryker harassed multiple teenage girls. He no longer works for Access Cheer and has since moved over to a facility 30 minutes to the south in Atco.
Documents from authorities also show that Ryker’s mother has been charged with witness tampering concerning the investigation.