Bergen Catholic High School Settles With Students Who Alleged Sex Abuse

ORADELL, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- Bergen Catholic High School has reached a nearly $2 million settlement with 21 alleged sex abuse victims – all former students at the private school in Oradell, New Jersey.

As WCBS 880's Mike Smeltz reported, the former Bergen Catholic students reached the settlement for alleged cases abuse that took place over a 15 year span.

Peter Alrutz, who attended the school in the 1960s, said he saw a lot of teacher-on-student physical abuse at the school.

"A lay teacher punched with a closed fist and knocked teeth out of a student's mouth," he said.

But Alrutz said what happened to him went beyond that. He said he was taken into a storage room by Brother Charles Irwin.

"I was sexually abused in that room by him," Alrutz said.

Alrutz said Irwin would also pin students down in their chairs and put his hand down the backs of the boys' pants.

Messages to Bergen Catholic to comment on the settlement had not been returned late Monday.