Shamed School Pooper Admits Medical Issue

Thomas Tramaglini cites runner's diarrhea, plans to sue
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 31, 2018 10:30 AM CDT
Shamed School Pooper: It Was a One-Time Thing
Thomas Tramaglini, right, appears in Holmdel Municipal Court on June 12, 2018.   (Thomas P. Costello/The Asbury Park Press via AP, File)

Thomas Tramaglini calls it a one-time mistake: While running on a high school track early on April 30, the New Jersey school superintendent felt the need to defecate and went behind the bleachers to do his business. "What I did was wrong," yet "I've been portrayed as a horrible, deranged person," the 42-year-old tells NJ.com following an Oct. 24 guilty plea to one count of public defecation. Tramaglini expects more court appearances in the future: He plans to sue Holmdel police for $1 million over a Facebook post naming Tramaglini as the man responsible for pooping on the track on a "daily basis," per the New York Post.

Though Tramaglini was later diagnosed with a bowel condition known as runner's diarrhea, he says he only felt the need to poop while running about two or three times before April 30, when he had his first "bathroom emergency." For that, his life and reputation were ruined, says Tramaglini, adding he lost his job with a $147,504 annual salary on the eve of a five-year contract extension. His two kids, ages 7 and 10, are also "being ostracized and teased," he says. "That's, by far, the worst part." His lawsuit is expected to focus on his widely distributed mugshot, supposedly meant "for internal purposes only." (More on that here.)

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