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Bronx Teacher Arrested for Trying to Seduce 14-Year-Old Girl, Police Say

By  Aidan Gardiner and Gwynne Hogan | May 15, 2015 2:17pm | Updated on May 18, 2015 8:41am

 Jonathan Blum, of Dreamyard Prepatory School, was arrested for attempted rape, police say.
Jonathan Blum, of Dreamyard Prepatory School, was arrested for attempted rape, police say.
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QUEENS — A Bronx teacher was arrested for attempted rape in the parking lot of Murray Hill Burger King Thursday after he tried to seduce a 14-year-old girl who was actually an undercover officer, officials said.

Jonathan Blum, 27, who's taught at Dreamyard Preparatory School in Claremont for four years, was arrested in the diner's parking lot at 144-74 Northern Blvd., near 146th Street, where he'd arranged to meet the underage girl about 5:15 p.m., officials said.

Blum posted an ad on Craigslist, seeking a young girl who, "would be interested in messing around with a licensed real teacher," prosecutors said.

An NYPD detective posing as a 14-year-old girl from Queens responded and the two struck up a correspondence that lasted from April 13 until May 14, during which time Blum sent numerous explicit email and text messages to the officer, prosecutors said. 

Blum wanted to meet the girl in person and arranged for the rendezvous on Thursday evening, prosecutors said. 

The arrest happened when Blum was not working, NYPD and Department of Education officials said.

He was charged with attempted rape, attempting a criminal sex act, attempting to disseminate indecent material to a minor and attempting to endanger the welfare of a child, police said.

"While this alleged behavior is not school-related, it is incredibly disturbing," said DOE spokeswoman Devora Kaye.

Blum, who has no disciplinary history with the department, has been reassigned out of the classroom and won't have contact with students, Kaye said.

He is scheduled to be arraigned in Queens Criminal Court on Friday, court officials said. 

Blum, who earns $58,903 annually, has taught since April 2011 at Dreamyard Preparatory, which enrolls about 340 students from ninth to 12th grade.