5th-grade teacher accused of publicly masturbating in cemetery and park, PA cops say
An elementary school teacher in Pennsylvania is accused of publicly masturbating at a park and a cemetery, police said.
Matthew Gagat, 47, of Horsham was charged with open lewdness in an incident that occurred in Bucks County, as well as open lewdness, indecent exposure, and disorderly conduct in a separate incident in Montgomery County, court records show.
His first hearing was July 23, court records show.
McClatchy News reached out to Gagat’s attorney July 24 for comment but did not receive an immediate response.
Police said the first incident occurred March 3 at Whitemarsh Memorial Park, a cemetery in Ambler, when a couple reported seeing a man masturbating near a headstone, WCAU reported.
According to authorities, Gagat said he was “just urinating by a tree and walking through the cemetery to clear his mind,” NorthPennNow reported.
Authorities said Gagat was reported a second time June 27 when he was accused of publicly masturbating while staring at a woman in Lenape Park in Sellersville, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
Gagat is listed on the Lynnewood Elementary School website as a fifth-grade teacher.
Superintendent Maureen Reusche said in a July 23 letter to families that the Haverford Township School District learned of Gagat’s incidents for the first time on July 22 from the media.
“To be clear, we learned of both incidents less than twenty-four hours ago,” the letter stated.
“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 said.
“As both processes evolve, we will do our best to share as much information as we can share, with sensitivity and transparency,” Reusche added.
Neither incident in which Gagat was charged involved children, according to media reports.
Horsham is about a 25-mile drive northeast from Philadelphia.
This story was originally published July 24, 2024 at 2:23 PM with the headline "5th-grade teacher accused of publicly masturbating in cemetery and park, PA cops say."
