FREEHOLD – Preliminary hearings before Superior Court Judge Jill Grace O’Malley continued in the case of a former special needs teacher accused of sexually abusing a teenage student. The session opened with Monmouth County Prosecutor Danielle Zanzuccki questioning the victim’s mother about when her son disclosed the alleged relationship.
Allison Havemann-Niedrach, 44, of Jackson, is charged with engaging in a sexual relationship with her 15-year-old student while working as a special education teacher in an eighth-grade classroom at Freehold Borough Intermediate School. Prosecutors allege the conduct included sexual encounters in her car and home, thousands of sexually explicit messages, and the creation of child sexual abuse materials.
She faces seven counts: first-degree aggravated sexual assault, first-degree endangering the welfare of a child through the manufacture of child sexual abuse materials, two counts of second-degree endangering, second-degree official misconduct, second-degree sexual assault, and third-degree endangering.
Havemann-Niedrach approached the defense table using a cane and sat next to attorneys Thomas Huth and newly added co-counsel Matthew Mordas. During the testimony of three separate witnesses, she kept her eyes down, tapped her fingers lightly on the table, and occasionally looked at papers in front of her attorneys.
Mother’s Testimony
The teenage victim’s mother said her first contact with police came in June 2024, when the Freehold Borough Police Department asked her to bring her son to the station.
Officers told her only that a teacher had been “inappropriate” with her son and that they wanted to speak with him privately. She was not present during the interview and could not hear the discussion.
Afterward, she signed a consent form allowing police to search her son’s cellphone, which they kept. The teenager went to work that evening and did not speak further about the matter.
The next day, she said, her son approached her at home. “He was scared; he was crying,” she testified. “He was sad.”
The victim apologized and told her he had not been dating “the girl” – referring to Havemann-Niedrach’s daughter, but instead “the teacher.” He admitted to sexual contact on two occasions in the teacher’s car and said Havemann-Niedrach had threatened to go to the school’s director if he did not respond to her.
“He was afraid, embarrassed, and thought he might have to go to jail,” the mother said. Her son also told her, “Maybe I should take my life.”
The mother said she was crying as she listened to her son. She called police, leading to a second interview with detectives.
Investigation And Arrest
Detective Sgt. Dawn Correa of the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office testified that she and Detective Samuel Hernandez began investigating after school officials raised concerns. Havemann-Niedrach was assigned as the special education teacher in another teacher’s science class where the victim was a student.
A teacher reported seeing the defendant rub the victim’s neck and back, touch his leg, and flirt with him. Correa said the school also conducted an internal review.
Correa and Hernandez interviewed the victim, and with his mother’s consent, seized his cellphone. Deleted messages linked to Havemann-Niedrach’s number were recovered. “You could tell there was a romantic relationship and also a sexual relationship,” Correa said.
On June 26, 2024, detectives served an arrest warrant at Havemann-Niedrach’s parents’ home in Jackson. Body camera footage showed her cooperating but stating she was not comfortable speaking without her attorney present.
Correa said no questions about the investigation were asked after that point, aside from those related to safety.
At headquarters, Hernandez approached the defendant with a Miranda form while Correa advised her of the charges. When asked again, Havemann-Niedrach confirmed she still wanted her attorney and was not interested in talking. During cross-examination, Hernandez testified the defendant was never advised of her right to remain silent, her right to speak, or her ability to stop questioning at any time.
Casual Conversation In Custody
Hernandez testified that during processing, Havemann-Niedrach initiated casual conversation. She asked if he had ever seen her at the school, then spoke about her work, the Hispanic student population, and her view that children “grow up too fast these days.”
She also mentioned Bark, a parental monitoring app she had installed on her daughter’s phone. Hernandez said Havemann-Neidrach’s husband later told police he had been denied access to the app.
“We were just having a conversation,” Hernandez said, adding that no discussion of the allegations occurred.
Legal Arguments
The victim’s mother testified as part of what is known as a “fresh complaint” hearing. This is a legal proceeding to determine whether testimony about a victim telling someone they trust of alleged abuse can be admitted as evidence at trial. This rule generally applies when the disclosure is made within a reasonable time after the alleged incident.
Questions appear to have been raised about whether Havemann-Niedrach was properly advised of her Miranda rights. The defense has also asked about the admissibility of the mother’s testimony that the victim suggested maybe he should take his own life.
Judge O’Malley ordered the prosecution to provide transcripts of the body camera footage before ruling.
The case is scheduled to return to court on September 9 at 9 a.m. If convicted of the most serious charges, she could face decades in prison.
