Employee Fired & Arrested

Sacred Heart University Associate Director of Athletic Communications Matthew Janik, 39, was arrested in Bloomfield, Conn. on Dec. 30, 2024. He currently faces four charges including illegal sexual contact with a victim under the age of 16, attempted sexual contact involving a victim aged 13 to 15, commercial sexual abuse of a minor under 15 and enticing a minor by computer.

“The Bloomfield Police Department made us aware that Matthew Janik had been arrested,” the university said in a statement. “Upon learning of this, Janik was immediately suspended pending investigation.”

According to the Connecticut Post, Janik allegedly engaged in conversation with an undercover police officer posing as a 14-year-old girl and planned a meet-up at a McDonald’s in Bloomfield with the intention of engaging in sexual activity. Instead, detectives awaiting his arrival arrested him immediately on site.

Janik joined the athletic communication and marketing staff in Dec. 2022 and was the primary media contact for the men’s ice hockey, baseball, field hockey and fencing Programs.

Following the arrest, an email sent out to the campus community emphasized the availability of resources for students struggling to cope with the situation and in need of additional support, including the counseling center and campus ministry, as well as LGBTQ+ spaces.

“The safety of our students, faculty, staff and visitors is Sacred Heart University’s top priority at all times,” the university statement said.

Janik was held in lieu of $250,000 bail and appeared Monday, Jan. 6 at Superior Court in Hartford.

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