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Bronx Cop Accused Of Groping 14-Year-Old In Back Of Squad Car
By
Jake Offenhartz
Published Dec 24, 2019
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CHRISTINA CARREGA / GOTHAMIST
By
Jake Offenhartz
Published Dec 24, 2019
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A Bronx police officer is facing accusations of groping a teenager while she was handcuffed in the back of a squad car last month.
The 14-year-old girl says she was violated by the cop—who has not yet been identified—following an arrest related to a dispute over a cell phone.
According to a notice of claim filed with the city on Monday, the young girl was illegally stopped on November 29th outside the Sotomayor Houses in Soundview, then tossed in the back of the patrol car. A uniformed officer allegedly "peeled [her] jacket back aggressively and began to touch and grab [her] on her hips, stomach, area about her buttocks and her skin from above her buttocks to her hips and under her breasts."
The assault allegedly occurred in the back of the squad car, as a second cop sat in the driver's seat. Detectives with the Internal Affairs Bureau told the victim's mother that the officer behind the wheel of the vehicle has been identified, according to attorney Sanford Rubenstein.
A spokesperson for the NYPD said the department would "review the lawsuit" once it's filed, but not respond to inquiries about whether an investigation is underway.
Legal papers allege that, following the assault, the 14-year-old spent 15 hours locked up in the 43rd precinct. When the victim's mother, Nykesha Johnson, appeared at the station house, she says she was detained for trespassing. After several hours, Johnson was released without charges. According to the legal papers, her daughter was arraigned on unspecified charges. (The NYPD press office did not immediately respond to an inquiry about the nature of the charges.)
Johnson says her daughter was further humiliated while in custody, with several officers flipping her off. “That precinct was disgusting,” the mother told the Daily News. “It was like they were a gang in there."
A notice of claim filed with the city on Monday seeks $4 million for emotional damages inflicted on Johnson and her daughter.
"Obviously a 14-year-old girl should not be treated in the way that she was, and we look for the police officer to be held accountable for actions that are totally inappropriate," attorney Sanford Rubenstein told Gothamist on Tuesday.
Until recently, it was not illegal for police officers to have sex with people in their custody. Earlier this year, the Brooklyn District Attorney dropped a case against two police officers, who'd admitted to having sex with an 18-year-old girl in their police van, citing credibility issues on the part of the victim.
Tagged
police brutality
bronx
nypd
internal affairs
police misconduct
Jake Offenhartz
Jake Offenhartz is a former Gothamist reporter.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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