Jonathan and Angela Ryker. (Image and mugshot: Medford Township Police Department)
Prosecutors charged a New Jersey cheerleading coach for allegedly abusing teenage girls, and also charged his mother with allegedly telling one of the victims to recant, according to reports.
Jonathan P. Ryker, 25, is charged with sexual assault, endangering the welfare of a child, and aggravated criminal sexual conduct. His mother, Angela Ryker, 51, is charged with witness tampering and criminal attempt.
The Medford Township Police Department said Jonathan Ryker sent a minor explicit content through social media.
Shirtless and lying in bed, Ryker allegedly took a selfie and sent it to a 15-year-old cheerleader on Snapchat, stated court documents obtained by WPVI. He asked for what the outlet described as “sexual favors.” The girl allegedly also said he groped her during practice.
“During the 8-month investigation, detectives were able to identify additional victims associated with Rockstar Cheer of Southampton, NJ where Ryker was a coach,” officers said.
Another girl, 17, a gymnast under his supervision, reportedly stepped forward to cops. She said that in February 2021, Ryker picked her up from home and took her to a hotel room for sex.
“At one point, he is holding her neck against the bed, and she was pushing him off because she could not breathe,” the probable cause affidavit reportedly stated. “She thought to herself that he was going to kill her.”
As allegedly heard in a court-approved wiretap, Jonathan Ryker told the girl in February to say she was 18 during the incident and to omit “the first time they had sexual intercourse.”
Angela Ryker, who reportedly started Rock Royalty Cheer in March 2023, allegedly reached out to one of the girls in September 2022, telling her to recant.
RockStar Cheer, the company that Jonathan Ryker worked for, reportedly fired him when allegations surfaced in August 2021.
“We are grateful to the NJ State Police for their commitment to the children of our state and we continue to work with them through this ongoing criminal matter,” the organization, now called Access Cheer, said in a statement. “We stand with all survivors of abuse and will continue to create the safest and most consistent place possible for children to compete in allstar cheerleading.”
Rock Royalty Cheer could not be immediately reached for comment.
From cops:
If you or anyone you know may have been a victim, please contact the New Jersey State Police Red Lion Station at 609-859-2282, the Medford Township Police Department at 609-654-7511 or the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office at 609-265-5035. Anonymous tips are welcomed.
Have a tip we should know? [email protected]
