A Pennsylvania fifth-grade teacher allegedly masturbated in a cemetery and public park — in one case staring at a woman from across a river as he touched himself, according to newly revealed court docs.
Haverford Township educator Matthew Gagat was spotted by witnesses carrying out the alleged perverted acts in March and June leading to criminal charges two counties.
A couple walking their dog in Whitemarsh Cemetery saw Gagat, 47, on March 3, but originally thought he was urinating before realizing it was more sinister, according to an arrest affidavit reported on by the Philadelphia Inquirer.
After getting back in their car, the couple then saw Gagat “actively masturbating” as he lurked behind another woman, the affidavit alleges.
Gagat claimed to police he only peed on a tree in the cemetery where he went to “clear his mind,” the court doc states.
Then three months later, a woman called police on Gagat after she saw him on the opposite side of a river from her as he stared and touched himself at Lenape Park on June 27, the Inquirer reported, citing an affidavit.
He again denied he did anything wrong.
He’s reportedly facing charges of indecent exposure, open lewdness and disorderly conduct, and the cases in Bucks and Montgomery counties are pending.
Haverford Township School District Superintendent Maureen Reusche said in a letter to parents that school officials didn’t know about the lewd allegations against Gagat, who teaches at Lynnewood Elementary School, until July 22.
“The challenge for a school system in these moments is to appropriately address our community’s concerns while maintaining the procedures — both in the criminal justice system and as a District employee — that the individual is entitled to under the law,” Reusche wrote, per the Inquirer.
“As both processes evolve, we will do our best to share as much information as we can share, with sensitivity and transparency.”
It’s unclear what Gagat’s job status was on Wednesday. An email to the school district was not immediately returned.
Gagat’s attorney, Ellis Klein, said in an email he had no comment on his client’s case at this time.