Janitor Caught Poisoning Kids' Lunches Said He Was Doing 'The Devil's Work'

A New Jersey janitor who tainted children's school food with bodily fluids and cleaning chemicals will spend eight years in prison — after recording the whole thing and sharing the videos online. Investigators say Giovanni Impellizzeri, 27, turned a school cafeteria into a crime scene while posing as a trusted employee.

Behind the Mop: A Sickening Secret

Impellizzeri worked at Elizabeth Moore School in Upper Deerfield Township, New Jersey, starting in 2019. For years, no one suspected anything. But in fall 2023, disturbing videos surfaced on Telegram, an encrypted messaging app, that shattered the illusion. Parents reported the clips to school officials, who then alerted state police. What they found shocked even seasoned investigators.

Videos showed Impellizzeri "masturbating and urinating on pillows and kitchen bowls," contaminating bread with spit and bodily fluids, and — perhaps most dangerously — "spraying bleach into a container of cucumbers that was later served to children at the school, with the intention of harming the students." According to the affidavit, he used "multiple pieces of bread to wipe his genitals as well as spitting on the bread before putting the bread back into the container to be later served to children at the school," PEOPLE reported.

Authorities verified the items in the footage matched utensils and supplies at the school, confirming the videos had been filmed on the job. They arrested Impellizzeri the very next day.

From Food Crimes to Felonies

Police didn't just stop at the cafeteria. During their investigation, they discovered child sexual abuse material on Impellizzeri's devices. He later admitted to sharing footage of his food tampering and other acts in a chat group. Prosecutors initially charged him with aggravated assault, endangering the welfare of a child, and food tampering — but agreed to drop those in exchange for a guilty plea.

In January 2025, Impellizzeri pleaded guilty to second-degree official misconduct and third-degree possession of child sexual abuse material. As part of the deal, he received a five-year sentence for the misconduct and three years for the pornography charges, to be served consecutively.

In court, he offered a haunting rationale. Prosecutors said that during the investigation, Impellizzeri admitted he tampered with food and said he was doing "the devil's work," according to CBS News.

A Crime That Left a Community Reeling

The Cumberland County Department of Health stepped in to sanitize the school kitchen after Impellizzeri's arrest. Staff and parents have struggled to process the betrayal.

In court, Impellizzeri apologized to his victims as the judge handed down the sentence, according to PEOPLE. But for many families, the damage had already been done. The emotional scars may linger far longer than his prison term.

Trust Violated, Questions Remain

Impellizzeri will remain behind bars for at least five years before becoming eligible for parole. After release, he'll live under lifetime supervision. His crimes exposed alarming gaps in oversight, and they left a community grappling with questions no one should have to ask: How did this happen? And how do we make sure it never happens again?

References: Elementary School Janitor, 27, Gets 8 Years After Admitting He Filmed Himself Putting Bodily Fluids and Waste in Kids' Food | Former New Jersey janitor sentenced for contaminating school cafeteria food with bodily fluids | New details reveal NJ janitor hoped someone would get sick; doing the "devil's work": prosecutors