Who was Steve Cartisano from Hell Camp: Teen Nightmare?

May 2024 ยท 2 minute read

A SLEW of child abuse allegations resulted in the shutdown of a camp that vowed to help troubled teens.

Steve Cartisano, the founder of the Challenger Foundation, denied all of the accusations.

Who was Steve Cartisano?

Born on August 15, 1955, Steve Cartisano was a retired Air Force instructor and military special forces officer from Modesto, California.

In 1988, Cartisano founded the Challenger Foundation.

As the founder of the Challenger Foundation, he also specialized in wilderness survival programs for troubled teens.

On May 4, 2019, 63-year-old Cartisano died at his residence in Durant, Oklahoma.

Read More in News

He was survived by his wife Deborah Lee Carr, whom Cartisano tied the knot with on December 15, 1978.

He is also survived by his four children and two grandchildren.

What was the Challenger Foundation?

Located in Utah, the Challenger Foundation was a youth reform program that hosted camps aimed at troubled teens.

For 63 days and an estimated $16,000 fee, Challenger housed teenage occupants and attempted to correct their behavior via wilderness therapy and nature exercises.

Most read in The US Sun

In its last years of operation, the program was investigated for its treatment of its teenage attendees.

Between August 1989 and November 1993, he and the company faced several civil lawsuits.

The charges included counts of negligence, intentional infliction of emotional distress, fraud, and breach of contract.

However, many of the civil suits were settled out of court.

On May 28, 1992, Cartisano and Challenger Foundation were acquitted of five negligent homicide charges and nine misdemeanor counts of child abuse.

Regarding Challenger's legal matters and his acquittal, Cartisano told Deseret News: "Economically, I've been destroyed.

"I was always confident that once we got this case out of the state and the media and into a court of law, I would be cleared of all allegations.

"I've been vindicated, but who will put a roof over my children's heads?

"I haven't been able to work. Who wants to hire someone facing charges of murder and child abuse?"

How can I watch Hell Camp: Teen Nightmare?

On December 27, 2023, the legal investigation involving Cartisano and Challenger Foundation is revisited in Hell Camp: Teen Nightmare.

Hell Camp: Teen Nightmare is available to stream via Netflix.

Read More on The US Sun

The hour-and-a-half-long documentary features interviews from the program's former occupants and their parents.

Archival footage from Challenger's campsite can also be seen in the documentary.

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tbTEZqqupl6YvK57zZ6urGdpboJxhJBuZqGdnKF6pK3MqWStnZWjeq%2B1xqGrppmimnq0wMSvnGabkafBqr%2FAp6Zo