PA piano teacher inappropriately warmed up students, DA says

🎹 Four former students have come forward about inappropriate 'warmups'

🎹  The lessons took place in the student's respective homes

🎹 Police believe there are other victimized former students

A longtime piano teacher is charged with sexually assaulting at least four of his students during warmups before private lessons got underway in their respective homes in the late 90s and early 2000s.

District Attorney Jen Schorn said Timothy Shay of Plumstead Township was charged with indecent assault of a person less than 13 years old and corruption of a minor. The youngest victim was just 5 years old when the abuse occurred, Schorn said at a press briefing on Friday.

The investigation started when an adult told police he had been sexually abused in his home in the Langhorne section of Middletown Township when Shay came to teach lessons 30-50 times between 1998 and 2003.

Shay would massage the wrists of the student who was told it was a "warmup" as they sat at a piano. Shay would then massage the victim’s forearms and work his way up his arms and neck.

'Your voice matters'

The warmups later took place on a couch where Shay would massage the student's chest and abdomen. Towards the end of the student's time studying with Shay he put his hands under the the waistband of his underwear and massaged the area above the genitals. Shay told the student to never tell anyone about the warmups.

Investigators learned of another student in Langhorne and a third and fourth who lived in Newtown Township where similar "warmups" occurred.

Middletown Township Police Police Chief Joseph Bartorilla at Friday's press briefing asked other victims to come forward no matter how long ago the abuse took place.

"Your voice matters. You will remain anonymous throughout the process and we will do everything in our power to support you and pursue justice on your behalf. Given the pattern of abuse we’ve uncovered, we strongly believe there may be other victims," Bartorilla said.

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