Jury Conviction Leads To 14-Year Sentence For Sexual Assault Of Sixth-Grade Student & Witness Tampering

Sunday, March 8, 2026, 2:15 P.M. ET. 4 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,

BRIDGETON, NJ.- A former school teacher in Cumberland County, New Jersey, has been sentenced to state prison after a jury found him guilty of sexually assaulting a sixth-grade student and later attempting to bribe the victim to lie to investigators.

     On Friday, March 6, 2026, Isaias Garza, formerly of Bridgeton, New Jersey, was sentenced by Superior Court Judge Niki Arbittier, J.S.C., following his conviction at trial in Cumberland County Superior Court.

     Garza received seven years in New Jersey State Prison for second-degree Sexual Assault. Under the state’s No Early Release Act (NERA), Garza must serve at least 85 percent of that sentence before becoming eligible for parole.

     Judge Arbittier also imposed the statutory requirements of Megan’s Law registration and Parole Supervision for Life, which will subject Garza to long-term monitoring by state authorities following his eventual release.

     In addition to the sexual assault conviction, the court sentenced Garza to another seven-year term in New Jersey State Prison for second-degree Witness Tampering/Bribery. That sentence includes a three-and-a-half-year period of parole ineligibility and was ordered to run consecutively to the sentence imposed for sexual assault.

As a result, the court imposed an aggregate sentence of 14 years in New Jersey State Prison, with approximately 9.5 years of parole ineligibility before Garza may be considered for release.

Jury Found Abuse Occurred While Defendant Was A Teacher;

     Garza’s sentencing follows guilty verdicts returned on October 3, 2025, after a Cumberland County jury concluded that prosecutors had proven the allegations beyond a reasonable doubt.

     According to evidence presented during the trial, Garza sexually assaulted a student identified in court records as “R.H.” on multiple occasions between 2004 and 2005.

     At the time, the victim was a sixth-grade student at the ExCEL School in Bridgeton, while Garza was employed as a teacher at the same school.

     Prosecutors argued that Garza used his position of authority within the school environment to commit the abuse against the minor student.

Attempt To Influence Victim Years Later;

     During the trial, prosecutors also presented evidence that Garza attempted to interfere with the criminal investigation after allegations surfaced more than a decade later.

     Authorities testified that an investigation into the abuse was initiated in 2018. At that time, Garza allegedly offered the victim money and other benefits in an effort to persuade him to lie to investigators about what had occurred years earlier.

     Jurors ultimately found that Garza’s actions constituted second-degree witness tampering and bribery, a separate felony offense under New Jersey law.

Multi-Agency Investigation;

     The investigation into the allegations involved multiple law enforcement agencies.

     The case was investigated jointly by the Cumberland County Prosecutor’s Office, the Bridgeton Police Department, and the New Jersey State Police.

     At trial and during the sentencing proceedings, the State of New Jersey was represented by Cumberland County Executive Assistant Prosecutor Lesley Snock and Assistant Prosecutor Brianne Malone.

Long-Term Legal Consequences;

     Beyond the prison sentence itself, Garza will face lifelong legal restrictions under New Jersey’s sex-offender laws.

     Under Megan’s Law, convicted sex offenders must register with law enforcement and may be subject to community notification requirements depending on their classification risk level.

     Additionally, Parole Supervision for Life places strict conditions on individuals convicted of certain sex offenses, including monitoring by parole authorities and potential restrictions on housing, employment, and internet use.

     Garza will remain under those conditions indefinitely following his release from prison.

Editor’s Note:

The victim referenced in this case is identified only by initials in accordance with New Jersey law and standard journalistic practice protecting the identities of sexual assault victims, particularly when the alleged abuse occurred while the victim was a minor. Englebrook Independent News does not publish the names of sexual-assault victims unless they choose to publicly identify themselves.