Prosecutor: Union Beach soccer coach accused of touching players, sending graphic images to minors
Ryan Gunsauls, 32, is facing more than two dozen child sex charges. He coached for the Union Beach Soccer Association.
More Stories
Disturbing allegations were made against a Union Beach youth soccer coach and volunteer firefighter.
Ryan Gunsauls, 32, is facing more than two dozen child sex charges – relating to some victims as young as 11 years old. Police have accused Gunsauls of touching two players and sending graphic images of himself to multiple boys.
Gunsauls was booked in the Monmouth County jail over the weekend after police say he used his position as a coach to send sexually explicit images of himself to eight players through a social media app. They also say he inappropriately touched two of the players. Gunsauls also allegedly received explicit pictures of some of those players and shared them with others. The victims range in age from 11 to 17.
According to parents, Gunsauls was the coach of soccer teams belonging to the Union Beach Soccer Association. He's also listed as a volunteer firefighter with the Union Beach Fire Company No. 1 and spent close to a decade working as a police dispatcher with the town until that position was eliminated in 2023.
Parents of soccer players tell News 12 they were first notified that Gunsauls was removed from the team in a group chat on May 3. Union Beach police contacted the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office on May 7 about an ongoing child endangerment investigation. Gunsauls was arrested four days later.
Investigators believe there could be more victims. They are urging potential victims to contact the Union Beach Police or the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office.
Gunsauls remains in jail and faces decades behind bars if found guilty. A detention hearing has been set for May 20.
