Father Eugene Heyndricks
Archdiocese of Newark
Ordained: 1981
Died: 2007
Assigned as follows:
- 2001-2003: St. John Nepomucene, (Guttenberg, NJ)
- 1999-2001: St. John the Baptist, (Fairview, NJ)
- 1994-1999: Our Lady of Mercy, (Park Ridge, NJ)
- 1989-1994: Our Lady of the Lake, (Verona, NJ)
- 1981-1989: Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, (Ridgewood, NJ)
Summary of Abuse Allegations against Father Eugene Heyndricks:
Father Eugene Heyndricks was ordained a priest in 1981 and served in the Archdiocese of Newark. He served in multiple parishes throughout his career. According to media reports, in July 2002, he was caught in a police sting operation involving a male prostitution ring of boys as young as 14 years old. Father Heyndricks was arrested for soliciting sex from a 16-year-old male prostitute. At the time, he was visiting Gay Village, a well-known gay neighborhood of Montreal, Canada, one mile from where World Youth Day activities were being held. Investigators said the ring was set up specifically for American pedophiles and often dealt in U.S. dollars. The Archdiocese of Newark placed him on leave immediately.
In 2003, Father Heyndricks pleaded guilty. Police said they saw him and the boy walk into a hotel and emerge 45 minutes later. The prostitute told police Father Heyndricks paid him $100 for sexual contact. He was sentenced to two years probation and ordered to have no unsupervised contact with minors. His defense attorney said afterward that Father Heyndricks wasn’t a pedophile. He said his client merely failed to realize the prostitute was under the age of 18.
In February 2019, the Archdiocese of Newark released a list of priests it said have been credibly accused of sexual abuse. The list includes Heyndricks, and the Archdiocese says he has “multiple” victims. No additional details have been released about the allegations, such as the age/gender of the victims or Heyndricks’ assignments at the time of the abuse.
Heyndricks remained on leave from ministry after 2003, living at St. John Vianney Residence for Retired Priests in Rutherford, until he died in December 2007.
Horowitz Law is a law firm representing victims and survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic priests and other clergy in the Archdiocese of Newark in New Jersey. If you need a lawyer because you were sexually abused in the Archdiocese of Newark, contact our office today. Although many years have passed, those abused by Catholic clergy in the Archdiocese of Newark now have legal options, but filing deadlines will apply so do not delay in reaching out to us. Our lawyers have decades of experience representing survivors of clergy sexual abuse in New Jersey and nationwide. We can help.
Contact us at 888-283-9922 or [email protected] to discuss your options today.