Former NJ skating coach arrested in alleged 1990s sexual assault of teen
Authorities said the victim told investigators that Marinelli, then about 40, became her personal skating coach when she was 14.
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Ralph Marinelli, 75, of Ventnor, was arrested Friday on charges of sexually assaulting a minor he coached at Young’s Skating Center in the early to mid-1990s.
Marinelli faces two counts of sexual assault of a minor: one involving a victim between 13 and 16 years old and another between 16 and 17 when he held a supervisory role over her, according to the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office.
The arrest followed a months-long investigation by the New Jersey State Police Criminal Investigations Division. The victim, now in her late 40s, initially reported the allegations to the U.S. Center for SafeSport, which referred the case to local authorities.
Authorities said the victim told investigators that Marinelli, then about 40, became her personal skating coach when she was 14. She alleged he groomed and sexually abused her from approximately 1992 through 1995.
Police collected corroborating evidence including photos of the pair together, greeting cards, letters, gifts, and the victim’s detailed handwritten journal describing the relationship and alleged abuse. Multiple witnesses reported knowledge of an inappropriate relationship during that period, officials said.
Investigators also obtained three recorded phone calls between Marinelli and the victim discussing their past relationship, as well as a recorded in-person meeting in which Marinelli acknowledged, “It should not have happened,” and gave the victim $500 in cash and skating mementos, according to the release.
Marinelli was released pretrial, subject to monitoring, after a public safety assessment found no prior criminal record. A judge declined a request to bar him from working at Young’s Skating Center while the case is pending but ordered that he cannot return if his employment is terminated.
He has a pre-indictment conference scheduled for Aug. 12.
