Editor’s note: StateCollege.com does not reveal the names of victims of sexual abuse, though an exception was made when Victim 1 came forward of his own accord.
From the release of the grand jury indictment of Jerry Sandusky and through the trial, up until the sentencing on Oct. 9, the man whose accusations launched the grand jury investigation was known only by a number: 1.
On Friday, the man, 18-year-old Aaron Fisher, was revealed on the ABC News program, ’20/20′ with excerpts on ‘Good Morning America.’ The entire exclusive interview aired at 10 p.m. on Friday.
‘Around here, he isn’t known as Victim number one, reporter Chris Cuomo said. ‘He’s hero number one.’
Fisher spoke with ABC’s Cuomo and talked about how long it took not only for him to gather the strength to tell school officials about the abuse he was suffering at the hands of Sandusky but also how long it took for anyone to believe him.
To ABC News, Fisher said his school principal cautioned him to be wary of who he was levying such charges against, as he had said during his testimony in June.
‘Here I am, beside my mom, crying, telling them and they don’t believe me,’ Fisher said in an interview with Cuomo airing on ’20/20′. ‘I knew they wouldn’t.’
During his ’20/20′ interview, Fisher said he got so desperate between no one believing that he was abused and Sandusky still pursing him that he contemplated suicide.
‘Did you think … it would be better if Aaron wasn’t there?’ Cuomo said.
Fisher answered yes. He wanted to die.
According to ABC News, Fisher’s book, ‘Silent No More: Victim 1’s Fight for Justice Against Jerry Sandusky’ was published Friday, jointly with his interview.
Details of his struggle to escape Sandusky are talked about in the interview, like how Fisher tried to avoid getting in his car, yet Sandusky followed him home.
In the segment, ABC News reporters confront, but get no answer from, Aaron’s high school principal and gym teacher who allowed him to be pulled out of class when Sandusky came to Central Mountain High School to find him.
Cuomo and his camera crew confront the principal as she arrives at Central Mountain High School one morning. The school principal takes off running.
Sandusky, 68, was sentenced to 30-60 years in prison on Oct. 9.
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