Former New Jersey gymnastics coach arrested again in online sex sting

Friday, January 16, 2026
COLLINGSWOOD, N.J. (WPVI) -- A former Gloucester County gymnastics coach with a lengthy history of sexual assault convictions has been arrested again.

This time, he's accused of attempting to meet an underage boy for sex after communicating online with an undercover police officer, prosecutors said.

Joseph J. Catrambone, 38, of Deptford, was taken into custody Jan. 7 at a prearranged meeting location in Collingswood, according to the Camden County Prosecutor's Office.

Catrambone was on parole supervision for life at the time of his arrest.



According to authorities, Catrambone began chatting online with someone he believed was a 14-year-old boy. The person was actually an undercover detective with the Camden County Prosecutor's Office High Tech Crimes Unit.



Investigators said Catrambone allegedly sent an explicit photo of himself, requested explicit photos in return, and expressed a desire to engage in sexual acts with the child. He later arranged to meet the boy in person, prosecutors said.

Catrambone was charged with first-degree attempted manufacturing of child sexual abuse material, second-degree attempting to lure a child, second-degree attempted sexual assault of a minor, third-degree attempted endangering the welfare of a child, third-degree attempting to send obscene material to a minor and fourth-degree attempted criminal sexual contact of a minor.

He is being held at the Camden County Correctional Facility.

Parents familiar with Catrambone's past cases said the arrest was not surprising.



"I'm not surprised, I guess, um, but frustrated..." one parent said.

Catrambone was first accused in 2017 of sexually assaulting children under the age of 13 while working as a gymnastics coach. He was sentenced to a year in jail. After his release in 2018, he was accused of attempting to meet a 15-year-old boy who was also an undercover officer, resulting in additional jail time.

A parent close to the earlier assault case, who asked not to be identified, said the impact of those crimes has been lasting.

"There are a lot of families and kids that will never be the same. Kids that are now adults that will never be the same," she said.

The parent said she believes more could have been done to prevent Catrambone from reoffending and that victims were not believed at the time.



"I think it's in black-and-white now. I just wish that back when all of this happened, that more people had listened to the kids. Maybe we wouldn't be in this situation now," she said.

She also questioned how the case was initially handled.

"We often wonder if it would have been handled differently if it had been after the Larry Nassar situation," she said.

"Families and kids that have to carry this for the rest of our lives, and that's just not fair," she added.

Catrambone is permanently barred from coaching gymnastics, according to the U.S. Center for SafeSport, based on his criminal convictions.



Anyone with information is asked to contact Sgt. John Cochran of the Camden County Prosecutor's Office High Tech Crimes Unit at 856-225-8826 or submit tips to CAMDEN.TIPS.
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