Abuse of disabled people in N.J. group homes persists as accountability lags, watchdog says

Johanna Palestini Burke

Johanna Palestini Burke, seen here with her son, Aidan, at his group home in happier times, in October 2021. Burke has asked for the state to investigate why her son was bruised and scratched and why it wasn't reported sooner.

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Aidan Burke came to school earlier this month with scabbed-over scratches on his chest, grayish bruises on his back and a deep, strawberry-red abrasion line circling his neck. The 19-year-old young man with autism cannot speak, leaving the origin of his injuries a mystery.

All his mother knows is Aidan must have gotten hurt at his group home in Sicklerville, Camden County, run by Oaks Integrated Care, and she’s determined to find out who is responsible. She’s asked the two state agencies that oversee the group home to investigate.

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