New Jersey pre-kindergarten teacher’s aide accused of sexually assault of ‘multiple’ children over more than a decade

A pre-kindergarten teacher’s aide in New Jersey has been arrested and charged over the sexual assault of “multiple” children over the course of more than a decade.

Shaun M. Stebbins, 43, was arrested Sunday and is facing a slew of charges including aggravated sexual assault of a victim under 13 and various crimes relating to child pornography, according to the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office.

The charges stem from reported incidents involving a number of victims between 2014 and 2025, though prosecutors said they were “deeply concerned” there may be more children impacted.

“We are issuing this press release to make the public aware of these heinous allegations,” Atlantic County Prosecutor William E. Reynolds said in a statement. “We are deeply concerned that there may be additional victims, particularly given the defendant’s access to children through his employment.

“As we have seen in other recent cases, individuals who prey on children often place themselves in positions of trust within schools, organizations, and youth programs to gain access to victims,” Reynolds added.

Stebbins has worked as an aide in a preschool class at Woodbine for several years, according to The New York Times. He was reportedly honored as one of the employees of the year, though all pictures of him appeared to have been deleted from the district’s social media pages as of Friday.

The claims against Stebbins first emerged two weeks ago when four students came forward and shared details of their alleged abuse with authorities, a relative of one of the victims told The NYT.

Reynolds said his office was putting out the information about the arrest of Stebbins “out of an abundance of caution… despite the holiday weekend and in advance of the scheduled detention hearing.”

Charges against Stebbins were brought following an investigation conducted by the Somers Point Police Department with assistance from the County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit.

The county prosecutor said the investigation revealed that over a period exceeding 10 years, Stebbins allegedly committed multiple sexual acts against multiple victims under the age of 13. He’s also accused of creating and possessing child sexual abuse material.

The unnamed victim’s relative told The NYT that Stebbins spent a lot of time online, including on livestreams, and claimed investigators had taken 15 hard drives and other devices from his home.

The Independent has contacted the Somers Point Police Department for further information as well as the Woodbine School District for comment.

Stebbins was arrested by the Somers Point Police Department and is currently being held in the Atlantic County Justice Facility. He is due to appear in court Monday morning.

In a message to parents, obtained by NBC Philadelphia, Superintendent Adrienne Breitinger said the district currently had no extra information to share.

“As you may be aware, an aide assigned to one of our classrooms was arrested last week,” the message read. “At this time, the District does not have any additional information beyond what has been reported in the media regarding the investigation.

“Upon being informed of the arrest, the District immediately requested a replacement aide. The safety and well-being of our students remain our highest priority.”