A New Jersey principal has resigned in wake of his arrest in connection to allegations that he choked and hit a child with a belt in his home earlier this month.
Dr. Dion Patterson, 44 — who served as the principal of Madison Elementary School in Rahway — is facing counts including child abuse/endangering the welfare of a child and neglect by a caregiver. The charges stem from an alleged incident that occurred at his home in Fanwood on Jan. 4.
According to court documents obtained by NJ Advance Media, Patterson began yelling at the child for talking on the phone while they were folding clothes in a bedroom. Patterson briefly exited the room before returning with a belt, which he allegedly used to strike the child. He then dragged the child off the bed, causing their head to hit the floor, and began choking the child with both of his hands around their neck, the documents said.
The child, who was not identified, reported the incident to a school nurse two days later, sparking an investigation.
Rahway school officials confirmed the alleged victim is not a student in the district, according to NJ Advance Media.
“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.
