In a recent development that has sent ripples through the educational community, a New Jersey school principal has resigned following his arrest over allegations of child abuse at his residence. The incident, which reportedly took place earlier this month, has brought to light serious accusations against the school leader.

Dr. Dion Patterson, 44, who until recently was the principal of Madison Elementary School in Rahway, is now facing multiple charges. These include child abuse, endangering the welfare of a child, and caregiver neglect, according to authorities. The charges are linked to an alleged incident on January 4 at his home in Fanwood.

Court documents, as reported by NJ Advance Media, detail a troubling account of the event. Patterson allegedly became angry with a child for using a phone while folding clothes in a bedroom. He purportedly left the room only to return with a belt, which he then used to strike the child. The documents further describe how Patterson is accused of dragging the child from the bed, leading to a head injury as the child’s head struck the floor. The situation escalated as Patterson allegedly placed his hands around the child’s neck, choking them.

The child, whose identity remains confidential, reported the harrowing incident to a school nurse a couple of days later, prompting the investigation that led to Patterson’s arrest.

In response to these serious accusations, Rahway school officials have clarified that the child involved is not a student within their district. “We are aware that there are criminal charges pending against Dr. Patterson,” the district stated. “We assure the community that these charges do not relate to any students of the Rahway Public School District and are not connected to any district-related incidents.”

“We are aware that there are criminal charges pending against Dr. Patterson,” the district said in a statement. “We would like to assure the community that the charges do not involve any students of the Rahway Public School District and are unrelated to any incidents or events involving the district.”

Officials, in a letter to parents, also confirmed Patterson tendered his resignation this week, which will be submitted to the Board of Education for approval on Jan. 27. The letter made no mention of the criminal charges or Patterson’s arrest.

According to Patterson’s LinkedIn profile, he became the principal of Madison Elementary in June 2024 and previously worked in the Orange and South Orange Maplewood school districts. He’s also listed as an adjunct instruction at Montclair State University‘s College of Communication and Media.