A New Jersey teenager who was just 13 when he allegedly fathered a baby with his former teacher is speaking out — and insisting that the sexual relationship was his idea, according to a report.
The teen insists that Laura Caron should not be facing charges, and hopes that they will someday be a family.
“They need to drop all charges,” the teen, now 19, told DailyMail.com. “I wasn’t groomed or raped or manipulated by her. She never initiated anything.”
“I started everything,” he continued. “If it was up to me, she wouldn’t have been in jail. It’s been six or seven years. I’m 19, about to be 20.”
Prosecutors disagree, and have charged the 34-year-old teacher with aggravated sexual assault, sexual assault and endangering the welfare of a child.
She faces more than 10 years behind bars.
The legal age of consent in New Jersey is 16, and it’s also illegal for teachers or anyone with a “duty of care” over children to have sex with minors of any age, according to Prevent Child Abuse New Jersey.
Caron was a fifth-grade teacher at Middle Township Elementary School Number 2 in southern New Jersey when she got pregnant. She was in her late 20s when she gave birth in 2019.
The infant’s paternity remained a mystery until the teen’s father — the baby’s grandfather — pointed out the uncanny similarity between Caron’s daughter, himself and his son on a Facebook post in December 2024.
Authorities soon began to investigate, and concluded that the boy was actually the father.
Caron first met her alleged victim when she taught him in elementary school.
The boy’s family remained close with Caron, even after she was no longer his teacher. His parents allegedly allowed their two sons and daughter to sleep over at Caron’s house a couple nights a week, according to authorities.
The three siblings even lived permanently with Caron between 2016 and 2020, sharing a bedroom.
Authorities say that the teen was living under Laura Caron’s roof when the sexual relationship began — and he was barely a teenager at the time of the conception.
The boy’s sister told prosecutors that she remembered going to sleep with her brother in the same room, but woke up to find him sleeping in Caron’s bed. She claimed Caron began sleeping in bed with her brother when he was 11 years old, according to authorities.
Investigators also said that the teen’s brother had once witnessed Caron sexually assaulting the alleged victim while he was sleeping.
While the charges are pending, Caron is prohibited from contacting the teenager. He told DailyMail.com that he has not been able to visit with his daughter since Caron’s Jan. 15 arrest.
“I can’t talk to them,” he says. “I wish I could, but I can’t. And it sucks.”
The teen, who blamed his father for the investigation, said that Caron was actually a positive influence in his life.
“I love her with all my heart,” he said. “She was there for me and my family.”
Caron’s attorney, John Tumelty, did not immediately respond to the Post’s message for comment.
