GRAMERCY — A student at Simon Baruch Middle School was arrested at school last week after a months-long harassment campaign in which he coerced girls into sending him nude pictures on Snapchat and intimidated a girl into touching him during school hours, according to a police report.
The 14-year-old boy, who police did not name because of his age, was arrested at 1:30 p.m. last Thursday at the school, after officials became aware of his actions, which reportedly involved numerous juvenile victims, police said.
The exact number of victims was not released. At least some of the victims were students at the school, located at 330 E. 21st St. between First and Second avenues, according to sources.
Between last October and the day of his arrest, the boy sent pictures of his penis to multiple girls on the popular photo-sharing app Snapchat, and coerced them into sending him nude photos in return, threatening to “expose” them if they didn’t, according to a police report.
The teen also video-called multiple girls on Facetime and openly masturbated while they were on the other end, police said.
After months of harassing girls on Snapchat and Facetime, the boy forced a girl to touch his penis while they sat on a park bench during lunchtime, according to police.
The boy was arrested on charges of promoting a sexual performance by a child, sex abuse, coercion, and obscenity, police said. He is being charged as a juvenile and the case was referred to family court, according to a police spokesman.
The Law Department, which handles juvenile cases in family court, said the teen had not been arraigned as of Thursday afternoon.
It was not immediately clear how or when school officials found out about the incidents, or how many victims there were, but a spokeswoman for the Department of Education said the school acted quickly once officials became aware.
“This is an alarming incident,” said DOE spokeswoman Toya Holness. “School staff immediately notified authorities and it’s being investigated. Nothing is more important than the safety and security of all students and staff, and we are providing ongoing supports to the school.”
School officials notified the families of the students involved and disciplined multiple students, according to a DOE source. The education department declined to discuss who the other students are or how they were connected to the incidents.
A representative for Snapchat did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
